


The Thief

by RikuAino7



Category: Mamamoo
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, F/F, Historical AU, Mentions Of Sexual/Verbal/Physical Assault, Slavery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-10
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:13:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 26
Words: 106,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27489388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RikuAino7/pseuds/RikuAino7
Summary: In a world dominated by omegas, alpha's only really have one way of life - sold into slavery. Byul slipped through the clutches of slavery so she could look after her two omega sisters and her only friend, Wheein. After years of pickpocketing some of the poorest people in the kingdom, Byul sets her sights on stealing something bigger and better. She was going to steal from the princess.
Relationships: Ahn Hyejin | Hwasa/Jung Wheein, Kim Yongsun | Solar/Moon Byulyi | Moonbyul
Comments: 157
Kudos: 477





	1. The Thief

**Author's Note:**

> This is an Alpha, Omega, Beta world. Alpha's have dicks, Omega's have vaginas and Beta's have a mixture. 
> 
> Knotting, scenting and heats are something that will eventually pop up in this story. 
> 
> Trigger warnings include mentions of sexual assault, physical assault and verbal assault. 
> 
> If you're uncomfortable with any of the above, that's okay, just press back and have a lovely day :) 
> 
> If you're okay with all the above, keep reading and maybe leave a comment or an upvote! Comments really do motivate writers.

The plan was simple enough on paper. Break into the most heavily guarded home in the kingdom and steal from the king. 

Okay, maybe it wasn’t simple. 

But with the information gathered and the layout of the palace memorised in Byul’s head, what could go wrong? 

Consistency was what the king loved the most about his palace and his guards. And that consistency was going to be his downfall. The guards moved in a particular motion around the palace gates and left a huge chunk of scaleable wall left unattended. Mistake number one. 

Mistake number two came in the form of an unlit garden path. Guards marched along the gravel turf, but could not see a figure hugging the decorative bushes along the sides of the worn out path leading to the palace. The guards were always in groups of two and always chatty at night meaning Byul’s footsteps couldn’t be heard over their voices. 

The king, an omega, gave birth to two daughters and dedicated a large area of the palace to his two, also omega, princesses. Mistake number three was not the kings mistake, but rather, the two young girls’ mistake. Rumour was, they hated being heavily guarded at night. It brought on a deep seated anxiety within them and with it, many sleepless nights. So each princess had roughly two guards each patrolling their wing of the palace. 

Byul had next to no difficulty scaling the palace walls in search of, what she assumed was, the eldest princess’ bedroom. Climbing the perfectly crafted walls was the most difficult part of the job, but luckily Byul had climbed mountains and other buildings that were harder than this. 

Once she reached the princess’ balcony she crept towards the sliding door and attempted to listen for any heavy breathing or light snoring that would indicate that the princess was sleeping. She couldn’t hear a thing. Maybe the princess was on a nighttime stroll. Maybe she has an alpha play thing and was running the poor thing ragged in a forbidden part of the palace. 

Mistake number four was also not the fault of the king. The door was unlocked. 

She slid in with next to no noise and with only the moon light to brighten the room up, began quietly searching the room for any valuables. It took a while, a lot longer than she first assumed, but she finally laid a hand on the princess’ jewellery box. 

Thanking the gods silently, Byul opened the golden box. She grinned when she saw exactly what she was looking for. A golden necklace with multiple diamonds coating nearly every part of it. This could feed a whole village for months, maybe even a year. She took one last look at the box before closing it softly and heading back to the balcony. 

A figure blocked her path, however, and held up a lantern. 

“Who are you?!” The voice demanded. 

Byul froze on the spot. She cursed herself internally. She must have spent too much time looking, or maybe she was too loud, or maybe-

“I said, ‘Who are you?!’” The figure held up her lantern higher and illuminated her face. 

She’s gorgeous, Byul noted. Long jet black hair, eyes almost hazel in colour, perfectly crafted eyebrows and an aura of a powerful woman. 

Byul had never been caught before. She’d never been in this situation of explaining who she was or why she was currently holding a piece of extremely expensive jewellery in her hands. 

Snapping out of her trance, Byul eventually replied, “I am no one, stand aside.” 

The stranger placed the lantern on the vanity unit near the entrance to the balcony and held her arms open, “You’re stealing from the crown! Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t yell for the guards.” 

Still unsure about how to think on her feet, Byul tried to use her natural charisma to make the woman move. 

“Listen, you could call the guards, but what good would that do? You and I both know that the beta’s the king hires are about as useful as a chocolate tea pot,” She flashed a smirk at the woman, “Now, please, just move out of the way and we can both pretend this never happened.” 

The woman, arms still outstretched, did not falter, “You’re an unclaimed alpha.” She pointed out, “I thought unclaimed alpha’s were kept in the military barracks until purchased by an omega.” 

Byul let out an offended scoff, “Not all alpha’s are sold into slavery.” 

“No, they’re not.” The woman slowly took a step forward, “Not if their parents are rich. But if you’re stealing from me, you must be desperate. Stealing from the crown is a crime punishable by public beheading.” 

Holding up the necklace, Byul examined the omega’s beautifully crafted face before replying, “If this belongs to you, then you must be the princess.” 

“Yes.”

“Which princess are you? The one who no one has seen in four years or the one who got drunk and fell off a bridge?” 

“Yonghee fell off a bridge?” The princess’ eyes widened, “Is that how she broke her arm?” 

Ignoring the question, Byul began to subtly move around the princess, “Listen, I’d love to stay and chat, but I must be going-“

“You’re not leaving with my necklace!” The princess raised her voice. 

Shushing her desperately, Byul held up her hands, “Princess do you really want me to fight you? I’m an alpha, I can easily knock you straight into next Tuesday!” 

The princess laughed, “Just you try it.” 

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Byul sighed as she tucked the necklace safely inside her satchel and charged at the princess only to be knocked straight to the floor in one hit. 

“Come on,” The princess mocked, “I thought you were the big bad alpha come to beat up the helpless omega princess.” 

Groaning slightly at the pain in her shoulder, Byul scrambled to her feet, “First one is always free.” 

She charged again and swung a miscalculated fist towards the omega who caught it and twisted it around the alpha’s back and forced her face down onto the soft carpeted ground. She held the arm in place and used her foot to keep the pressure on Byul’s back and hold her down. 

“So, alpha,” The princess smirked, “Are you ready to be punished for your crimes against the crown? First stealing from us and then attacking the princess,” she tutted, “Wouldn’t want to be you right now.” 

“Princess, please,” Byul was never too proud to beg, growing up with her sort of background she did it a lot as a child, “If you give me to the guards then you’re not just condemning me to death, you’re condemning three others too.” 

The princess sighed softly, “You should have thought about that before you decided to steal from me.” 

Byul was never an expert at talking to omegas, the only experience she really had was her younger sisters and even then the conversations were dull as dishwater. But she knew the best way to sweet talk an omega was to pull at their heartstrings. So she did. 

“I have two sisters,” Her voice was laced with desperation but she did not care, “Seulgi is ten and Yesol is six. My beta father was murdered by bandits on his way back from the market and my omega mother died in childbirth with Yesol,” The foot on her back eased up enough that Byul could barely feel it, “If you kill me, who will they have left to take care of them?”

The princess’s grip on the alpha’s arm lessened, “You said I’d be condemning three others. Who is the other person? Why can’t they take care of them?”

“That’s my friend, Wheein,” Byul’s face stung with carpet burns, but she continued, “I rescued her from a brothel two years ago. Omegas forced her to perform so many disgusting acts on them by drugging her with rut inducing toxins. She’s a broken alpha, she cannot take care of herself let alone two children.” 

The princess’ hold was suddenly gone and the alpha wasted no time in jumping to her feet. They stared at one another before the princess spoke up. 

“You can go, but you can’t take the necklace,” she held out a hand, “It belonged to my grandmother.”

Byul nodded and placed the necklace delicately into the princess’ hand, “I understand.” She nodded. 

The omega studied the face of the alpha for a second before walking towards her jewellery box, “You cannot have the necklace, but you can take these.” 

She held out diamond earrings and golden bracelets worth probably more than four of the necklaces. The alpha stood in shock as the pieces of jewellery were shoved unceremoniously into her satchel. 

“Princess,” she gasped just before she was shoved in the direction of the balcony. 

“Go,” the princess ordered, “And do not let me see you again.” 

Byul nodded as she made her way to the balcony with the princess just behind her, “Wait,” the alpha turned, “I know of your sisters name, but I don’t know yours.”

“I could say the same about you.” The omega countered. 

“Byulyi.” The alpha smiled, “Or just Byul.”

The princess returned the alpha’s smile before replying, “Why do you want to know my name?”

“Because I want my sisters to know who you are. I want them to know of the kind hearted princess that not only stopped their alpha sister from being publicly beheaded but also gave them a chance to live.” 

“Yongsun.” The princess shyly mumbled. 

Byul had a dreamy look etched upon her face, “Yongsun.” She repeated, “Beautiful.” 

Without giving the princess a moment to come up with any sort or reply or retort, Byul began to climb back down from the omega’s balcony and once again became just a shadow in the palace garden. 

Yongsun watched her fool every guard on her way back over the wall. She could sense that this will not be the last time she sees that alpha, and if she thinks about it, she doesn’t want it to be.


	2. The Princess

Days stretched into weeks which stretched into months since Yongsun had last seen the thief. She often caught herself thinking about Byul. Whether what she had told her was the truth, what she did with the jewellery and what she’s doing now. Yongsun was beginning to regret telling her to stay away. 

She found herself staying up late nearly every night with the hopes of seeing the alpha again. Her handmaidens often found her still passed out in her bed hours after breakfast had been served. The king scolded her, but it fell on deaf ears. 

Eventually her mind began to wonder away from the alpha. She offered her assistance in helping prepare a birthday party for the youngest member of the Ahn family. It helped to take Byul out of her mind. 

That is, until she actually got to the party. 

She had no idea how many alpha’s there were in the palace. Being a very important omega, she was hidden away from nearly every alpha she could have accidentally come into contact with. Centuries of submission and torture could erase most alpha traits, but not all and the king was terrified of a rogue alpha anywhere near his two daughters. 

There were, maybe, fifty or so alpha’s waiting hand and foot at every table with another fifty milling around trying to look busy. Yongsun briefly wondered about what happens to these alpha’s at parties shes deemed too young to attend. The thought makes her shudder. 

She spots the Ahn family at the head of the room with the king and her sister, Yonghee. She waved towards them as she made her way over. 

“About time you got here.” Her sister scolded. 

Shrugging her shoulders, Yongsun replied, “I was helping Hyejin with her dress.” 

Yonghee didn’t get the chance to say anything further as the doors to the hall were pushed open and the woman of the hour stepped through. 

It was like something out of the fairy tales her grandmother used to tell her. Hyejin looked like royalty in her sky blue flowing dress. Her hair in curls and parted over each shoulder. Yongsun even hired people to open a box of butterflies when Hyejin entered the room, just to give the air a more magical feel to it. It’s not every day your best friend turns sixteen, Yongsun wanted only the best for her. 

Not long after, the party was in full swing. Hyejin’s family were half drunk on palace wine and the alpha waiters could barely keep up with the demand of topping up their glasses. Yongsun wasn’t much of a drinker, so she happily watched everyone else slowly lose the power of speech whilst she still cradled her first glass of wine. 

A shadow caught her eye half way through the night and a familiar scent wafted into her nostrils. ‘No,’ she thought. Couldn’t be. The thief wouldn’t have the audacity to come here tonight of all nights, would she?

She shook her head and tried to focus on whatever was coming out of her sisters mouth when she finally locked eyes with the alpha that haunted her thoughts. The alpha looked away as soon as Yongsun caught her and pretended to be busy serving some noble omega. 

That’s when Yongsun saw how good the thief actually was. One minute a bejewelled encrusted hand was placed in between the alpha’s own hands and within seconds at least three rings were replaced by cheap replicas. The omega had no idea what happened, she simply took her hand back, winked at the thief and groped her bottom as the alpha walked away. 

Byul casually made her way towards one side of the room and stood there obediently. Yongsun glared at her for a few minutes trying to catch her attention before giving up and getting to her feet. She excused herself from her sister, who was probably too drunk to notice that Yongsun was even there, let alone leave, and made her way to the alpha. 

“What are you doing here?” She didn’t spare any time handing out pleasantries to the thief. 

Byul chuckled softly, “Hello to you too.” 

The omega once again glared at the alpha before aggressively grabbing her arm and pulling her behind a curtain that covered a balcony. 

“Wasn’t what I gave you enough?” She slammed Byul against a wall. 

“It was.” Byul nodded. 

“Then what are you doing here?”

Byul lightly pushed the omega away by her shoulders and straightened up her uniform, “I did something with the gold I got from selling the jewellery, I can’t tell you what because I’m pretty sure it’s illegal, but I need more gold just to keep it up.” She opened the curtains, “There’s so many rich nobles here, no one has noticed that half their jewellery has disappeared.” 

The omega stood by her side and glanced back into the party, “Who have you stolen from?” 

“A few nobles at the far end of the room and the drunk girl at the head of the room.” Byul pointed towards the table the Ahn family sat at, “You see the girl that looks like she’d rather be anywhere but here? She didn’t even notice me taking her bracelet off her wrist and replacing it with a guards bracer.” 

Yongsun once again grabbed Byul and slammed her into the balcony wall, “That’s my best friend, alpha! Give me the bracelet back.” 

Byul grumbled as she reached inside one of her many pockets and held out Hyejin’s gold and emerald encrusted bracelet for Yongsun to snatch. Still glaring at the no good alpha, Yongsun hid the bracelet away. 

“You have no idea how hard it was to get that bracelet,” She groaned, “I had to let that girl pinch and stroke my ass for nearly ten minutes!” 

The omega giggled, “You let Hyejin grope you?” 

“To be honest, princess, at parties like these us alpha’s have no choice but to be groped. It’s not as bad as the parties I’ve heard about though, most of the omega’s here just want to pinch, caress or smack my ass,” Byul visibly shuddered, “Well, except the king.” 

Yongsun perked up, “What do you mean?”

“The king grabbed me.” The mischievous glint in Byul’s eyes was replaced by something else, utter terror. 

“Where did he grab you?” Yongsun was scared to know the answer, but couldn’t hold herself back from asking the question. 

Looking at the princess as though she had grown another head, Byul couldn’t bring herself to verbally explain what the king did. Instead she took her own right hand and hovered it over her crotch. 

“I thought alpha’s liked it when omega’s touched them there.” Yongsun shook her head in confusion. 

Byul glanced at the princess sadly before her gaze once again drifted away, “We’re brainwashed into thinking the touch of an omega is a privilege regardless of where or when. We’re not allowed to say no to an omega, which is why I had to stand there and watch him stroke an erection out of me in front of all of his royal court members.” 

“Could he feel your satchel?” 

“Satchel?”

“Yes,” The princess nodded, “The one with the jewellery in.” 

“My satchel is in the storage room with the rest of my clothes.” Byul was slightly confused. 

Yongsun’s eyebrows knitted together, “Then what’s that?” She pointed between the alpha’s legs. 

“Princess,” Byul sighed, “What do you think that is? I am an alpha, remember.” 

“But why is it so big?”

“It’s not that big,” Byul had to bite back a smug grin, “These pants are just a little too tight.” 

They bickered back and forth for a while before the king had sent out a search party for Yongsun who hadn’t realised she had disappeared behind the curtain with the alpha for nearly an hour. Two servant alpha’s, one a life time servant of the kings and one who was still rather new, interrupted them before the older one mumbled something about the king wondering where the princess was. 

Yongsun instructed the alpha’s to inform the king that she would be right out before a hand on her forearm halted her. The princess turned to the thief before the pressure on her arm was released. 

“Did you notice anything strange about that young boy?” Byul asked, her playful demeanour from before vanished. 

Shaking her head, the princess replied, “Not really, I’ve only met him twice.” 

“His teeth have been smashed to pieces and his tongue has been removed.” The alpha answered her own question with a grim expression, “He must have said something that’s displeased someone. Like ‘hello’ or ‘have a nice day’.”

“What? How do you know?” 

The thief took a calming breath, “He smiled at me a few hours ago. What would have been a huge cheesy toothy grin turned into a horror show.” Byul moved to stand in front of the omega and towered over her, it was hugely inappropriate for an alpha to do this to any omega, let alone the princess. But Byul was not one for social norms. She almost spat out at the princess, “Omega’s did that to him or beta’s did whilst under orders from omega’s. This is why I feel no guilt nor any shame at stealing from these people.” 

Yongsun felt slightly intimidated at the aggression shown by the alpha in front of her. She had never been exposed to this side of any alpha before. She had been taught that they were only here to service the many needs of omega’s. Whether that be tending to the garden or keeping an omega’s bed warm. 

Byul was a strange entity to her. She broke all the common stereotypes that came with the title ‘Alpha’. She was courageous, funny and very intimidating. She even spoke to Yongsun as though they were equal. She made the princess curious, in more ways than one. 

The alpha wasn’t that much taller than the omega, but those few centimetres may as well be miles with the aura Byul was giving off. Seeing the muscles in the thief’s jaw move with every word she was angrily saying made Yongsun wonder what else that jaw could do. 

She shook her head violently to rid her mind of such thoughts and pushed the alpha, “Listen, you cannot intimidate me! Whether we are omega’s, beta’s or alpha’s, that does not matter to you, I can understand that. But I am the princess and you will treat me like a superior!” 

It was as though the cogs finally moved in the alpha’s head. As though she’s only just realised who she’s speaking to. She let her head fall down in slight shame before offering an apology to the princess. 

“I’m sorry,” She mumbled pathetically, “I just... I hate how alpha’s are treated. They make us believe that we’re animals and that we deserve the treatment we get just because of the body we’re born in.” 

“I’m sorry too,” Yongsun whispered, “If I could help you, I would.”

Byul’s playful grin returned, “You already have.” Sensing the confusion on the omega’s face, Byul continued, “With the gold I got from your jewellery I bought a small pot of land on the outskirts of the kingdom, in Seulgi’s name of course because alpha’s cannot own land.” Her grin faltered slightly, “With the help of my friend Wheein, we’ve turned it into a safe haven for abandoned, broken and runaway alpha’s.” 

The princess nodded slowly, “That’s why you’re back here?” 

“Yes.” Byul peaked out from the curtain in search of the young alpha, “And I have every intention of taking that boy back with me.” 

“Not tonight.”

“What?”

“Not tonight. If you take that boy then the king will assume some omega has stolen his alpha servant,” Yongsun shook her head, “Come to the garden outside my wing of the palace after nightfall tomorrow. I will bring him there and you can take both him and me to this alpha camp.” 

The alpha laughed, “You want me to take you to a camp swarming with alpha’s?” 

“Yes,” Yongsun nodded, her voice serious, “I wish to see it for myself.”

“Tomorrow, nightfall?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am going to try and aim to update this every Saturday. Hope you’re all enjoying :) just gotta get through the filler chapters before the exciting ones come. 
> 
> As always, leave a kudos or comment :) but you don’t have to, you can interact with this fic however you feel most comfortable :)


	3. The Village

3

Byul crept in the shadows as she began her long journey back to the outskirts of the kingdom. She had finally left the party after the king once again sent the two alpha’s to collect the princess. 

Her mind wandered to the princess. She wasn’t anything Byul was expecting of a royal. She heard rumours of the royal family and their cold hearts and sadistic eyes, and after meeting the king, she knew those rumours had some merit to them. 

But princess Yongsun was different. Her eyes were kind, her manners were soft and her voice was almost angelic. She was nothing like the king, the cruel king who grabbed her most intimate parts in front of a laughing omega crowd just to dehumanise her further. She got her revenge, however, when she stole his wedding ring and shoved it up the backside of a pig carcass at the end of his table. 

Byul chuckled softly to herself as she remembered the uproar of the king finding the precious ring. Just before she took her leave, she glanced back at the table at the head of the room and watched him have a very public meltdown. She chanced a look at the princess too only to get a disapproving nod from her in return. 

The journey back home was normally a long and hard one for the alpha, but today she was making record time. She almost bounced home. She put her extra energy down to the fact that she had stolen enough jewels to keep her safe haven going for at least another year. 

The kingdom gates were locked and barricaded at nightfall to prevent other warring kingdoms from gaining entrance whilst most of the army was asleep. So, Byul had to sneak to the poor district, climb down the abandoned well and follow the tunnel she created many weeks ago. 

Her village was located just outside the poor districts walls. It was close enough to the kingdom that bandits were too scared to raid but not close enough that the guards would bother them. There was a river that ran along side the village and continued through the kingdom walls. Trees concealed most of the village making it the perfect hideaway for alpha’s. 

A few alpha’s stood guard around the village, it was a precaution. Wolves and boars roamed these lands and Byul would have to be an idiot to dismiss those dangers. The alpha’s greeted her as she walked by, bowing to her and smiling warmly at their saviour. 

In the middle of the village stood a huge campfire. Nearly every night the alpha’s would surround it and take turns telling wild stories as they ate whatever food they caught from the river. It wasn’t much of a life for them, but it was better than slavery. 

As soon as Byul made her presence known around the campfire, every alpha stood to attention. Byul had repeatedly told the alpha’s that she was not their superior but their gratefulness at being rescued made them treat her like she was a goddess herself. 

“Byul!” An alpha called out to her. 

The thief wheeled around in search of whomever called her before her eyes landed on Jimin. 

“Ji!” She greeted, “How is everything?”

The man in question nodded his head, “Good. How was the party?”

Byul tossed her satchel at him, “See for yourself.” 

Jimin’s eyes lit up with the sheer quantity of jewellery that was in the satchel. He could feel his mouth water at the amount of gold coins coming their way. 

“My contact is in the next kingdom over,” Jimin grinned, “It’ll take a few days to get there, but we shouldn’t be gone longer than a week.”

Just as Byul was about to wish him and his crew good luck on their journey, an ear piercing scream was heard coming from Byul’s home. She turned in the direction of her wooden house and bolted. Two scared omega children quickly pulled the sliding door open and were ready to call for help. Upon spotting their sister, they ran towards her instead. 

“What’s happened?” Byul asked, the screaming still going strong inside the house. 

“It’s Wheein.” Yesol cried. 

Needing no further explanation, Byul made her way into the house and straight up the wooden ladder to the second floor. She could see Wheein in the corner, arms and legs thrashing about and mouth wide open in terror. 

Wheein often had nightmares. When she turned thirteen her parents had sold her to a high end brothel. The beta’s that owned the establishment assured her parents that Wheein would not be participating in any sexual encounters until she had reached the legal age. But once the omega’s spotted her, they paid a hefty amount to the beta’s in charge to allow them to have their way with the young girl. 

For an entire year, Wheein was subjected to all kinds of sexual torture. She refused to tell Byul most of the things omega’s made her do, but the older alpha could take a wild guess and get it right. 

“Wheein!” Byul yelled over the screaming. 

The alpha continued to thrash around for a few more seconds until Byul jumped on top of her and cradled her head between her hands. 

“Wheein! Wake up, please.” She pleaded, “It’s me! It’s Byul! You’re safe.” She continued to repeat the last two sentences until she felt Wheein calm down. 

“Byul?” She opened her eyes. 

Sighing heavily with relief, Byul nodded, “It’s okay, Wheein, you’re okay.”

“Byul, they’re coming for me.” Wheein whimpered. 

“No one is coming for you,” Byul pulled the younger girl into her lap and stroked her hair soothingly, “I promise you, Wheein, you’re safe. I’ve got you.”

The scent emitting from Byul confused Wheein. It was distinctively omega but extremely high class. Wheein’s submissive instincts kicked in at the scent and she found herself snuggling as close to Byul as she possibly could. 

It was not unlike an alpha to do this. Many alpha’s are taught the best and most effective ways to submit when around an omega from an early age. As soon as the scent reached Wheein’s nostrils, years of obedience took control of her as she tried to burrow herself into Byul’s chest. 

Within seconds Wheein had passed out. Byul looked at her pitifully before lightly kissing the top of her head and lying back to allow Wheein to cuddle closer. Alpha’s did not do this for other alpha’s. To lean on another alpha mentally or physically was always seen as a weakness in the eyes of the omega’s. Omega owners wanted their alpha’s strong and independent yet submissive and over reliant on their omega masters. 

After being in this position for a while, sleep started slowly taking over and before Byul knew it, morning had come. She looked down to her arms and was surprised to see Wheein missing. The girl was normally a one woman wrecking ball in the morning. Everyone in the kingdom and their dead relatives could hear her waking up. 

But not today. 

Byul spotted her fishing with her sisters by the river. She admired them all fondly. Wheein was a wreck when Byul rescued her, she was certain that the younger alpha was broken beyond repair. But her sisters helped to drag Wheein out of the black hole she was falling in and besides the nightmares that won’t seem to leave, Wheein looks happy. 

Byul grinned as she quickly made her way over to the three and plopped down in between Seulgi and Yesol. The youngest Moon sibling squealed as the eldest grabbed her and pulled her down onto her lap. 

“What are we doing?” Byul asked. 

“I am fishing.” Yesol proudly swung her fish net in the air. 

“What are you trying to catch?” Byul asked her sister seriously, “A butterfly? Get that net in the water.”

Seulgi flicked her fishing rod towards the water, the string tied to the end made the smallest of splashes before she spoke up, “Wheein was teaching us how to properly fish seeing as you don’t know how.” 

Byul scoffed, “Well, to be fair, Wheein grew up in a fishing village and I grew up near a meadow. I can’t fish, but I can frolic.” 

Wheein watched the three siblings in silence. She was always in awe at how they all spoke to one another. She was always taught that no matter what, an alpha will always talk to an omega with respect regardless of social standings or family ties. 

“What’s the plan for today?” Wheein asked once the siblings bickering stopped. 

Byul pushed Yesol into a standing position before getting up herself and dusting off her old and worn clothes, “We could head into the kingdom and visit a blacksmith,” she suggested, “We are in serious need of some more weapons, the boar problem is getting out of hand.” 

“Does that mean we get to play ‘Princess and Servant’ again?” Seulgi jumped up in excited glee. 

Most alpha’s were only allowed to buy certain items from the market when unaccompanied by omega’s. Weapons, however, were only allowed to be bought by omega’s (or alpha’s in the company of their omega owners). So whenever Byul needed to purchase such items, she had to drag her two sisters along with her. She made up a game with them, they were the princesses just out for a leisurely stroll and Byul was their alpha servant. It fooled merchants and that’s the only thing that mattered. 

“Yes,” Byul winked, “Go and put on your princess clothes.” 

__________________

Nightfall came a lot sooner than Byul had expected. She had spent most of the day in the market pickpocketing nobles and pretending to be an obedient claimed alpha. Before she knew it, she was hopping from roof to roof trying to get to the palace as quickly as her legs could get her. 

A few guards spotted her, but luckily it was easy enough to lose them. A few peasants yelled at her to get off their roofs, but other than that, she didn’t create too much of a fuss. 

She climbed over the same unguarded wall, crept along the same paths and made her way up to the princess’ garden. 

True to her word, the princess stood there with the alpha behind her, his head down in slight terror. It was clear to Byul that the princess had not told the boy what was happening. Maybe that’s for the best, omega’s that are trustworthy are hard to come by. 

So why do you trust Yongsun, Byul? 

She found herself asking that a lot in the past few hours. She could sense something about the other omega. She had this aura about her. The last omega Byul had known that had a similar aura was her mother. 

“Are you ready?” She asked both the princess and the alpha. 

Yongsun nodded and turned back to the young boy, “It’s going to be okay,” She assured the alpha before turning back to Byul, “Take us.”

Despite being a pampered princess, Yongsun had no problems keeping up with Byul. Climbing and running had been Byul’s best attributes since birth as she had no other way of getting around the kingdom unnoticed. 

The young boy, however, was struggling. Byul considered carrying him on her back, but was unsure at whether or not the alpha would be offended by the offer of help. The journey from the palace back to her village normally took over an hour by rooftops, but with the young alpha slowing her down, it took nearly twice as long before Byul hopped down the well and motioned for the other two to join her. 

Byul could see the lights of the campfire in the distance. She turned to the princess with a concerned look. 

“Are you sure you want to see this?” 

The princess nodded, “Yes.”

“Okay.” The older alpha waved a hand towards the trees and Yongsun could see shadows moving between them. 

As soon as they entered the village every conversation had stopped, the meals were left uneaten and every alpha stood to attention. Byul knew this change in atmosphere wasn’t for her, but rather, for the princess. 

Whether or not they knew she was the princess was unknown to Byul. These alpha’s, these obediently trained alpha’s, could smell an omega from a mile off. Especially one with royal blood pumping through her veins. They knew she belonged to the crown, they just didn’t know the extent. 

“Stand down!” Byul barked at every alpha, “This is our village! Alpha’s, omega’s and beta’s are equal here! You serve no one.” 

Once the alpha’s registered what Byul was yelling, they went back to their meals and conversations as though Yongsun wasn’t even there. The princess found it strange how all these alpha’s would listen to Byul as though she was their omega leader. As far as Yongsun was aware, Byul was nothing but a peasant alpha, so how did she get the trust and respect from all these others? 

Byul continued deeper within the small village towards a medium sized wooden home. She slid the door open and held it for the other two to quickly follow her. 

“Yoon!” She greeted an older alpha warmly before turning back to Yongsun and the young boy, “This is the alpha I was telling you about.”

Yoon held his hand out and motioned for the boy to open his mouth. The young alpha did so without hesitation. Yoon gasped at the sight inside the poor boys mouth. He instructed for the boy to close his mouth before telling him to sit on the floor. 

“Can you speak at all?” He asked. 

The boy tried to say something but all that came out were helpless gargles. Yongsun looked at the boy with a pitying gaze and held a hand over her chest. She still couldn’t understand who would do such a thing to this boy or why they’d do it. 

“Do you know sign language?” Byul asked as a light bulb moment went off in her head. 

The boy shook his head, no. 

Byul sat across from him on the floor, “Would you like to learn? We have someone here who can teach you. That way you can communicate with us.” 

The young lad looked slightly confused for a few seconds before nodding his head. He clearly was unsure at what sign language was. 

“Wait here.” She told the boy before jumping to her feet, “I’ll fetch Wheein.” She ran out the door before quickly coming back, “You better come with me.” She added to the princess. 

Byul couldn’t really explain why, but she felt an overwhelming urge to keep the princess with her at all times. Maybe she was worried about leaving an unmated omega surrounded by alpha’s. Or maybe she didn’t want Yongsun to wander off and suddenly find herself surrounded by wolves. 

Yongsun got to see a little more of the village as they made their way to the house Wheein was currently in. It was not unlike the villages she had seen in her travels around the east. The only difference was the distinct lack of omega presence. 

Byul spotted Wheein inside their shared house telling Byul’s two sisters a fairy tale her grandmother once told her. Byul stood off to the side and watched them for a while before Yongsun whispered in Byul’s ear. 

“I remember this one,” She smiled affectionately, “The princess falls in love with a lowly peasant boy and they defy social standings and the kings orders by falling in love. It was one of my favourites,” She gushed, “I have the book in my library, I must lend it to you for them.” 

“That’s a lovely gesture, princess.” Byul turned her body to face Yongsun, “But I can’t read and neither can Wheein or my sisters.” 

“Oh.” Yongsun had never encountered someone who couldn’t read before, “Well, I guess that you must have to invite me to read it to them myself sometime.”

Byul smiled down at the princess, “If I invite you to this village again, will you teach them how to read and write?” 

“I’ll bring my best ink.” Yongsun winked. 

The slight shift in pheromones alerted Wheein to the presence of others. Her head snapped around so quickly Byul was frightened that it was going to fall off. The overwhelming scent of an omega made Wheein freeze in complete and utter terror. 

“Wheein.” Byul soothingly said to the younger alpha as she approached slowly, “It’s okay, Wheein.” She held out her hands for the other girl to take, “This is the omega I told you about. The one who gave us the gold jewellery.”

“Oh.” Yongsun could see Wheein visibly shaking, “I’m sorry.” She bowed her head to the omega princess. 

“Don’t be sorry.” The princess tried to offer a sweet smile, “I’m Yongsun.”

“Wheein.” The alpha stammered. 

Byul noticed her two omega siblings staring up at them all in awe. Byul was about to take away their storyteller. She’d have to think of a way to make it up to them another time. 

“Seulgi, Yesol,” she began as she sunk to her knees in between the two girls’ bed mats, “I have to borrow Wheein for tonight, I hope you don’t mind not finishing the story tonight.”

“I can finish it.” Yongsun offered. 

Byul turned to face her, “Are you sure? These two can be pretty annoying when you’re left alone with them.”

“Of course.” Yongsun grinned, “I know that story like the back of my hand and it deserves an ending.”

The older alpha nodded her head before warning her two sisters against doing anything naughty whilst Yongsun was present. She softly grabbed onto Wheein’s arm and pulled her in the direction of Yoon and the younger alpha. 

After briefly explaining everything to Wheein and allowing the boy the chance to object to learning sign language, Byul left the house feeling a lot better and a lot more accomplished than before. 

Helping people was her one and only goal in life. She prioritised helping alpha’s - not because she hated omega’s or beta’s - but because those were the people who needed help the most. If she could, she’d start a revolution, not unlike the one the omega’s had centuries ago when they took control away from the alpha’s. But her alpha’s are weak and her cause would result in her death and her sisters fate unknown. So for now, she’ll have to settle with helping from the shadows. 

She had left Wheein with the boy and Yoon to try and teach him the basics of sign language. Byul jogged slightly in an attempt to stop other alpha’s from striking a conversation with her. Byul was all for a good chat, she loved the sound of her own voice, but not when the princess of the kingdom has been snuck discreetly into her house. 

Sliding the door open quietly, Byul was just in time to catch the ending of the story. 

“.... and then the king’s heart melted at the sight of his daughter in love. He ordered his guards to release the boy immediately and sent his servants away to begin preparations for a wedding.”

“Then what happened.” Yesol yawned. 

Yongsun smiled at the girl before answering, “They all lived happily ever after.” 

“Your ending is different to Wheein’s.” Seulgi pointed out, “In Wheein’s story, the princess and boy run away together and buy a farm but they still lived happily ever after.”

“I suppose every ending is different, you’ve just got to choose the ending you want the most and make it yours.” The princess winked. 

The two omega children rubbed their eyes in sync before settling down and pulling their bed sheets up to their chins. 

“I like your ending.” Seulgi said, “Just as much as I like Wheein’s.”

Yongsun could sense the presence of Byul behind her. She stood up slowly just as the two girls’ eyes began to close and snores began erupting from them. The princess turned to the alpha and smiled warmly. 

“I think they like you.” Byul nodded her head at the two sleeping lumps. 

“I hope so.” The omega replied. 

Byul motioned to the wooden set of ladders on the far side of the house, “Follow me.” She instructed. 

Yongsun did indeed follow the thief. Byul had lead her up the ladder, through a bedroom and out onto a makeshift balcony just outside the bedrooms sliding doors. Yongsun could tell that these houses were new and hastily made just by how much they creaked when she stood on the wood. 

Byul sat down with her legs dangling off the edge of the poorly made balcony. Yongsun was just about to do the same when the view stopped her. Yongsun had never seen something quite as beautiful in all her life.

At the back of the village there was a field that, by day was home to millions of magnolia flowers but by night it was something different entirely. Nearly every individual magnolia housed at least two fireflies. It was as though this field had a magical blanket of light protecting it. 

“It’s nice,” Byul sighed, “Right?”

Yongsun finally sat down, “It’s beautiful.” 

They settled into a comfortable silence for a while. Both of them just basking in the beauty of nature and neither one of them wanting to disrupt the peace. 

After a while, Byul did break the silence. 

“Why are you so nice to me?” She blurted out before she could stop herself. 

Yongsun didn’t seem fazed by the question. Instead she flashed another genuine smile and answered, “I’ve spent the last four years in Japan learning from the Emperor.” She began, “Did you know, in Japan omega’s, alpha’s and beta’s are all treated as equal beings? It surprised me at first. Alpha’s came up to me, not like you did, and spoke to me as though they weren’t terrified of me because I’m an omega.”

She went silent for a short while before she continued, “I learned a lot over there. Not only from the Emperor himself, but I learned a lot about alpha’s and it made me sick when I thought of how we’ve treated alpha’s and how... how I’ve treated alpha’s.” 

Her attention was taken away when she heard the thunderous laughter coming from behind them. 

“We’ve figured out how to make soju,” Byul explained, “Alpha’s can drink ridiculous amounts of soju.” She chuckled. 

Yongsun chuckled too before her face turned serious again, “You know, when I met you I thought you wanted to kill me at first. But then I realised you were just an alpha looking out for her family. I thought that, if I let you go and gave you something from my jewellery box then I could erase some of the hurt and pain I’ve caused.” 

“And did it?”

“Not until you brought me here.” Yongsun looked up from her hands and initiated eye contact with the alpha. 

Both of them stared into one another’s eyes for what seemed like decades. Neither wanted to break the connection. Byul had never been this close to an omega before and Yongsun had never been this open with anyone before. They felt comfortable with one another. 

The sound of Wheein’s heavy footsteps entering the house broke them both out of their daze. They sheepishly moved their gazes away from each other. Byul cleared her throat, slowly stood up and offered a helping hand to the princess. 

“I should take you home.” She felt embarrassed. Never in her life had she been caught staring at an omega and never in her life had she caught an omega staring back. It felt weird. 

The princess nodded. She too felt slightly embarrassed, but her embarrassment stemmed from the thoughts that flooded her mind. Thoughts that she’s never had before but were now all the omega could think about when her mind wondered to the thief. 

Yongsun took Byul’s hand and allowed the alpha to guide her down the ladders and out of the house. She bid farewell to the remaining alpha’s that were still awake around the fire before being led back through the well and into the poor district of the kingdom. 

The streets of the kingdom were scarcely guarded at night so the alpha and omega were free to roam without having to jump from roof to roof to avoid detection. Yongsun stayed close to Byul and even held on to her elbow with her hand. 

If the king could see her now, he’d surely behead the alpha then and there. Not only was she of peasant class, she was also horribly mannered, disobedient and the worst example of an alpha he would have ever met. 

Yongsun snuck glances at the alpha whenever they would pass by a lantern so she could get a proper look at Byul’s face. She couldn’t explain why she felt drawn to the thief. Something about her made Yongsun want to hold onto her and never let her go. 

“When will you invite me back?” Yongsun asked as they crept through the district belonging to the more noble of families. 

Byul thought about it for a moment before answering, “When would you like to come back?” 

“Every day.” The omega replied simply. 

“What happens when the palace is alerted to your disappearance?” Byul chuckled. 

“Well,” Yongsun started, “No one is allowed in my bedroom between night fall and sun rise so I will have them banished if they do go in.” She tapped a slender finger off her chin, “Also, I could tell the king that I’m visiting a friend and won’t be back until late.” 

“And what if he sends someone to your friend’s house and you’re not there? And your friend has no idea about this prior arrangement?”

“I will bring the friend with me.”

“You’ll bring them? I’m assuming they’re omega and you’re bringing them to an illegal alpha camp?”

Yongsun shook her head as they neared the palace walls, “She’s trustworthy, I promise.” 

Byul hummed in response, not too convinced by the omega but also not daft enough to start an argument. She helped Yongsun up and over the wall before walking her to her garden. They had to be as silent as possible so no guard spots them. 

As good as Yongsun was at climbing roof tops, she was terrible at trying to scale the palace. Byul enjoyed watching her slip off a few times before finally taking over. 

“Wrap your arms and legs around my back.” Byul instructed. She couldn’t see the deep blush that coated the princess’ cheeks and Yongsun was grateful for it. 

She obliged quickly and found herself being pulled up the wall. She felt like she was hanging onto the back of a spider as Byul effortlessly scaled the wall that lead to her balcony. 

Yongsun pulled herself over the short balcony walls and turned back to the alpha still clinging on. 

“Tomorrow.” Yongsun nodded, “Meet here at the same time.”

The alpha also nodded her head before allowing herself one last look at the princess and then dropping to the ground. 

This princess was something special. Byul could feel it. Suddenly Byul had hope. Hope for a better future for alpha’s. Hope for a better future for her sisters. Hope for Wheein. And hope for herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was sat on this update for a while. So I figured, why not post. 
> 
> Enjoy :)


	4. The Friend

Winter crept up so fast Byul was sure that she slept the whole summer away. One day the sun was blazing down on the back of her neck and the next a frost started to settle. Luckily she was an alpha and was naturally warmer than omega’s or beta’s so the cold didn’t bother her too much. Her sisters, however, were curled up by the fire with nearly every blanket they could find. 

The princess came as often as she could to teach Seulgi and Yesol how to read and write. Apparently she was an excellent teacher because Seulgi could now read books cover to cover with very little assistance from the omega princess. 

Byul often thought about Yongsun. What she did when she wasn’t at the village, what her responsibilities were as princess and often Byul would wonder if she was set to be married off to some high class noble or a beta prince from another kingdom. 

It had been nearly nine months since Byul broke into the palace. Nearly nine months since Byul was nearly arrested and executed. Nearly nine months since she met her. 

She couldn’t explain it with words, she’s sure there’s no word in existence to explain it anyway, but ever since she first locked eyes with the omega princess, she felt a connection, a longing or a pull to her. She tried to brush it off at first, she was sure she’d never see the princess again. She even took her sisters and Wheein to a different kingdom to avoid coming into contact with Yongsun again. 

But something brought her back. Something made her change her mind and head straight back to Yongsun’s kingdom. She’s sure it was just so that she could rescue alpha’s. But the more she thought about it, the more she realised that subconsciously she desired to meet the princess again. 

So she built the village. She acquired help from abandoned and near starving alpha’s she found lying in a pool of their own self pity in the poor districts. They had nothing to lose and everything to gain by taking up Byul’s offer. 

They had built five houses in total and one medical shack. But the money was running out. Feeding alpha’s was easy enough when you considered the boar problem and the river that ran along side the village that was teeming with fish. Keeping up the village in terms of maintaining the structures, building more houses and getting medicine from the kingdom was depleting their gold. 

So, Byul made the decision to go back to the palace and test the princess’ generosity again. When she and her sister, Seulgi, crept along the market place to purchase goods, Byul had over heard a conversation by two young noble women. They had revealed the party for the youngest family member of the Ahn family that was organised by princess Yongsun herself. 

It didn’t take Byul long to locate the princess at the party. Sat at the head of the table taking the tiniest of sips out of her wine glass and pretending to understand whatever gibberish was coming out of the mouth of the woman sat next to her. 

It was strange that, in a party full to the brim of omega’s, Byul could still smell the scent emitting from Yongsun. It was etched into her memory the night they first met, when Yongsun knocked Byul to the floor and hovered over her. She shook her head, now was not the time to reminisce about being beaten up by a princess. 

Byul worked her way around the room, trying to not draw attention to herself but also trying to gain the attention of a certain omega and after a while she decided to be more daring. 

The girl sat a few chairs away from the princess looked like she was about to puke. Byul could tell she had never drank before. She was swaying from side to side when the thief approached her. Byul started off with a casual “Would you like anything, Miss?” 

The young girl took a liking to Byul and began flirting with her. Byul was never one to openly flirt with anyone, but if she wanted to get the bracelet off the girls arm, she’d have to flash a dazzling smile and allow the girls hands to roam. 

After finally switching the bracelet with a guards bracer, Byul took an even more daring route back towards the other tables. Instead of heading back where she came from, she carefully and casually walked past the princess and what looks to be her sister. 

She had hoped that Yongsun remembered her scent just as she remembered Yongsun’s. She glanced back at the princess and her heart leapt when she saw the princess staring at her. She quickly broke eye contact and focused on some elderly omega woman who seemed more interested in the front of Byul’s pants than the drinks Byul was handing over. 

The alpha often thought about the party. About the princess pining her up against the wall twice. Her scent so close to Byul that she felt like her head was spinning. She was sure the princess scent marked her, whether she did it knowingly or not, Byul didn’t know. But she had not other explanation as to why Wheein could smell omega on her.

It took Wheein weeks before she could hold a proper conversation with the princess. Byul had to be present at all times because Wheein would launch into a panic attack when left alone with Yongsun. But after a while when Wheein finally realised that Yongsun was not a threat, she was able to form coherent sentences with the princess. 

Seulgi and Yesol were obsessed with Yongsun. They called her ‘Teacher Solar’. Only Byul, Wheein and the young alpha the thief rescued knew who Yongsun really was. To everyone in the village, her name is Solar. It’s safer that way for both Yongsun and every alpha in the village. 

Nothing made Byul happier than knowing that her sisters adored Yongsun. They woke up nearly every morning, climbed up the ladders leading to Byul’s room and jumped on her just to ask whether or not Solar was coming. If she was, the two girls would squeal with excitement, if she wasn’t, they’d slump back to their beds and Seulgi would attempt to read to Yesol. 

The harsh winter nights made Yongsun’s nighttime visits to the village few and far between. Byul was scared that the frost on the rooftops would cause a hazard to the princess. The princess was just too cold to leave the palace. 

But after a week of not seeing each other, Byul was finally able to make her way back to the palace. Jumping over rooftops, through trees and finally she came to the palace walls. Still as unguarded as ever. 

As she made her way to the princess’ garden, she heard two voices. Hiding behind a bush, Byul peaked out to see who the voices belonged to. 

“It’ll be fine.” The voice belonging to the princess reassured the other. 

“What if she doesn’t want me to come? You’ve said it yourself, she doesn’t trust any omega except you.” The other voice whined. 

The princess began pacing, “Byul trusts me, I trust you, so Byul can trust you.” Yongsun sighed, “Hyejin, you have to see this place! There’s nearly one hundred alpha’s living there. They need our help. We could be the omega’s that saved alpha’s from certain doom.” 

“And what happens when we get caught?”

“IF we get caught.” Byul could hear the princess hesitate slightly, “And I haven’t thought about it.” 

After the conversation died down slightly, Byul decided to make her presence known. She eyed the strange omega slightly before bowing her head to Yongsun. 

“Hey.” She smiled. 

“Hey yourself,” The princess pushed the alpha’s shoulder softly, “Where have you been? It’s cold and we’ve been here ages.” 

Byul rubbed her shoulder, “The rooftops are slippery and I kept falling off of them.” 

Yongsun noticed the look of apprehension on Byul’s face when she acknowledged the other omega. She held out a hand for the younger omega to take and pulled her closer to the alpha. 

“Byul, this is my friend, Hyejin.” She proudly said. 

The alpha looked Hyejin up and down before shaking her head, “She can’t come with us.” 

“Why not?” The princess stomped her feet. 

“You know why! I can’t keep bringing omega’s to the village,” Byul’s voice was quiet but forceful, “If I bring.... Hyejin, was it? If I bring Hyejin, why stop there? Lets get your sister too and while we’re at it, we can invite the king to come and sit on my face whilst his guards murder every alpha in the village!”

“Calm down, Byul!” The princess snapped. “Hyejin is trustworthy. She wants to help your alpha’s just as much as I do. Give her a chance.” 

Byul looked like she wanted to argue further but the window of opportunity to leave the palace undetected was closing. She let out a frustrated sigh before conceding. 

“Fine,” She threw her hands in the air, “Can you climb?” 

“Climb?” The young omega asked. 

“Yes. Climb.” Byul repeated, “Can you climb up houses or trees? Or a set of stairs?” She added the last part sarcastically when she finally realised what the omega was wearing, “I can’t believe you’re wearing a dress.” She muttered under her breath. 

Hyejin shook her head, “I cannot.”

The alpha had to bite her tongue to stop her from saying anything that might be considered disrespectful to the omega’s in front of her. Instead, she sighed once more. 

“When we have to climb onto houses, you’ll have to wrap yourself around my back and-“

“No!” A voice shrieked. 

Both Byul and Hyejin’s eyes widened in alarm as their heads snapped to the source of the voice. Yongsun stood there, hand over her mouth in slight horror over how loud she was in protesting what the alpha suggested. 

She cleared her throat before calmly continuing, “That’s inappropriate, don’t you think?” 

“Princess, she can’t climb.” 

“We can teach her.”

“We don’t have time to teach her.”

“Nonsense, she has to learn how to climb if she wants to keep coming.” 

“Why are you being difficult?” 

“Why are you so desperate to have her arms and legs wrapped around you?” 

“I’m not, it’s just easier than watching her fall to her death.” 

“Then teach her not to fall.”

“How am I supposed to do that?!”

“I don’t know! But I’m warning you, Byul, don’t touch her.”

Hyejin watched the exchange in slight amusement. She had never seen an alpha speak this way to anyone let alone an omega princess. The stories Yongsun had told her about this brave and disobedient alpha paled in comparison to the real thing. She was rather enjoying the heated discussion. 

The alpha relented by taking a deep and calming breath before turning on her heel and stomping away from the two omega’s. They followed behind her, staying low enough to not get spotted by the guards. Hyejin chuckled slightly at how badly the palace was guarded at night. Anyone could break into the palace undetected, the alpha in front of her was living proof. 

They did indeed take well over two hours trying to get back to the alpha village. Hyejin insisted on climbing up trees and houses on her own as to learn how to do it for future reference. Yongsun threw a smug smile towards the alpha when Hyejin made it up a house quicker than Byul. 

The walk back into the village was routine now for Byul and Yongsun. Every alpha would greet her as ‘Solar’ and nod their head in her general direction. But today was different. A new omega was brought into the village and every alpha froze when she came into view. 

Byul barked at them, not unlike how she did when Yongsun first came here. The alpha’s bowed their heads slightly to Byul before going back to whatever they were doing. Hyejin looked around the small village in awe. She couldn’t believe that a simple set of jewels from the princess’ jewellery box could pay for all this. 

A distant voice yelled over the murmurings of conversing alpha’s, “Lady Ahn!”

Hyejin’s head whipped around in nearly every direction until her gaze settled on a young alpha barrelling her way towards her. 

“Joohyun!” The omega embraced the overly excited alpha, “I thought you left! I told you to get as far away as possible.”

The alpha laughed, “Where was I supposed to go? I’m claimed. I would have been sent back here with my tail between my legs and thrown into the dungeons.” 

“I’m so glad you’re okay.” Hyejin held the alpha by her shoulders. 

Joohyun nodded her head, “I am.” She looked over Hyejin’s shoulders, “All thanks to her.” 

The omega followed the alpha’s eyes. They both stared at Byul for a few seconds before Joohyun announced that she was the designated chef for the village and her stew was most likely burning. Hyejin hugged her one last time before allowing her to leave. 

“How do you know Joohyun?” Byul asked. 

“She was my alpha,” Hyejin replied, “Not like in a sexual way, I’ve only just turned sixteen.” Hyejin clarified after getting an eyebrow raise from Byul. “I’ve known her for most of my life, she used to look after me, rather how like my mother should have but didn’t. She had an affair with a cousin of mine and was sentenced to death after impregnating her during her heat. I helped her escape.” 

Yongsun placed a delicate hand on Byul’s shoulder, “You can trust her.” 

Byul nodded her head and continued walking deeper into the village. They stopped at the huge campfire and spotted Wheein next to the young alpha she rescued from the palace. After teaching the boy the alphabet in sign language, Wheein finally learned the boys name, Chuyoung. 

They looked like they were in the middle of a heated discussion, if the aggressive hand movements were anything to go by, when Byul approached with the two omega’s behind her. Wheein rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest in a huff. Chuyoung looked satisfied with himself. 

Hyejin chuckled slightly at the childish actions from the female alpha. She reminded Hyejin of a puppy she once had. The sounds of her chuckles reached the small alpha’s ears and she glanced up. 

Wheein’s eyes flashed with terror as she stood up abruptly and nearly knocked Chuyoung over in her haste to obediently greet the new omega. She was shaking from her head to her toes and her back almost snapped at the weird angle she was bowing at. 

Byul sent a glare to the offending omega. She quickly moved forward and enveloped Wheein in a hug. She muttered reassurances in the younger alpha’s ears to help regulate her breathing. After a few seconds Wheein was okay. 

Yongsun briefly explained through hushed whispers that Wheein was terrified of omega’s. Hyejin looked on in sympathy as the two alpha’s in front of her broke apart. 

“She’s a friend.” Byul said looking straight into Wheein’s eyes. 

“Do... do you trust her?” Wheein trusted whomever Byul trusted. 

Byul hesitated slightly before answering, “I trust Yongsun and Yongsun trusts her.” 

Wheein nodded before separating herself fully from the older alpha so she could properly introduce herself to the newcomer. 

“I’m W-Wheein.” Her hands shook as she bowed her head to Hyejin. 

The omega glanced at the princess quickly before bowing back to Wheein, “Hyejin.” 

Wheein was taken back slightly by the bow Hyejin gave to her. A bow was a sign of respect in their kingdom. Omega’s never bowed to alpha’s regardless of social structure. But this omega was showing Wheein a huge amount of respect despite not even knowing her. It made her curious. 

Byul noticed the strange look on her friends face before standing in front of her and asking how her sisters were doing. 

“I gave them some soup and I’ve been topping up their tea’s every hour or so.” Wheein responded, “They’re doing better.” 

The princess placed a hand on the thief’s shoulder and span her around, “Your sisters are sick?” She asked. 

“It’s just a cold.” Byul shrugged, “They get one nearly every winter, but luckily this time we have hot food for them and plenty of blankets so it shouldn’t last as long as they usually do.” 

“Can I see them?” 

“Of course.” Byul began to lead them to her home before realising Hyejin wasn’t following her. She turned just in time to see the omega slowly close the distance between herself and Wheein. 

Hyejin was intrigued about this little alpha. Wheein was terrified of this omega. Byul could see Wheein’s hands begin to shake as Hyejin got closer. 

The older alpha did the unthinkable. If she was to have done this in the kingdom the end result would have been death. She launched herself towards her friend and the omega and grabbed Hyejin’s wrists to forcibly move her away from Wheein. 

“Don’t fucking touch her.” Byul warned. 

“I wanted to know if she was okay, she’s shaking!” Hyejin shrieked. 

The alpha growled, “She’s shaking because you’re getting too close to her! If you touch her, I’ll rip your fucking throat out.” 

Hyejin had never seen this side to any alpha before. She had read about it during her studies about the omega rebellion and how alpha’s nearly caused a mass genocide due to their bad tempers and impulsive behaviours. But to actually see their aggression and to have it aimed at her was one of the most terrifying experiences of her life. 

She was too shocked to speak. Byul was glaring daggers into her eyes with a vice grip on her wrists. The princess tried to calm the alpha down by gently pulling at her shoulders but to no avail. 

Wheein’s weak voice made Byul drop the omega’s wrists, “Byul, it’s okay.” Her voice broke as her legs trembled, “She... she’s not a threat.” 

The older alpha glanced back at her friend before stepping away from the omega. She had the decency to look slightly ashamed at her actions as she offered Hyejin a pathetic mumbled apology. The omega accepted the apology and rubbed her wrists soothingly. 

“I’ll go find Joohyun.” Her voice was as shaky as Wheein’s legs. 

Byul found it near impossible to ever feel sorry for any well off omega, so the sympathy she felt for Hyejin was new to her. The omega’s head was down and her shoulders slumped as she walked away. 

Wheein glanced at Byul, “Thank you for protecting me. I think she’s okay, though. She... she feels safe.” 

The thief nodded dumbly at her friend before turning on her heel and heading back home. The princess followed her. Yongsun was taken aback by the angry side of Byul. She’s seen it before, albeit briefly, but it scared her slightly. When protecting alpha’s, Byul turned into a different person. 

The alpha opened the sliding door to her home and kept it open for the princess to follow her. The heat that erupted from her house was enough to make the alpha sweat. 

“This is lovely.” The princess sighed, “It’s so warm.” 

Byul shook her head. Omega’s. She rolled her eyes. They could be sat in fire and still complain that it wasn’t hot enough. Whereas Byul had to throw her outer layers off in fear of overheating, Yongsun pulled hers tighter against her. 

She spotted her two sisters huddled around the fireplace coughing slightly and slurping their teas loudly. Yongsun approached them first and sank to her knees in between their bed mats. Byul copied her actions. 

“Hello, cuties.” Yongsun greeted the girls. 

Their red faces poked out from underneath their blankets and they perked up at the sight of their personal tutor. 

“Teacher Solar!” Yesol exclaimed groggily. 

“Have you come to read us a story?” Seulgi asked, “Byul said we’re too sick to learn today.”

Nodding her head, Yongsun took out a book filled with different types of fairy tales. As she began to read the first story, she saw Byul move from the corner of her eyes and disappear into a different part of her home. The home wasn’t that big, but there was a wall separating the space they were in now to the space Byul now occupied. 

Yesol yawned a few times before succumbing to sleep. Seulgi was still wide awake and, metaphorically, on the edge of her seat wanting to know more of what happened to the princess that pricked her finger. 

Byul returned a few minutes later and held out a mug full of tea for the princess. She took it gratefully before returning to her story. The alpha began tidying up around the house. Most of it was Wheein’s mess as the two omega children have been bedridden for days. She plopped back down next to Yongsun just in time to hear the ending of the story. 

“... and then the prince appeared and awoken Sleeping Beauty with true loves first kiss.”

“And then they got married?” Seulgi struggled to speak as a huge yawn ripped though her. 

Nodding, Yongsun continued, “Yes and they lived happily ever after.” 

“I love your stories, Solar.” The young omega’s eyes began to close, “They always have happy endings.” 

The princess grinned and tucked Seulgi in herself just as the girl fell asleep. Byul watched as Yongsun tended to her sister. She couldn’t help the feeling of pride and happiness in her chest at seeing something so wholesome. 

The princess turned to see the thief staring at her. She began to blush slightly under the attention. She had to clear her throat to snap Byul’s mind back to the present. 

Byul’s face turned red when she realised she was caught, again, staring longingly at the princess. She had to shake her head to rid the thoughts of asking Yongsun to stay with them forever. It wasn’t feasible, wasn’t possible and definitely wasn’t appropriate. 

“Would you like me to teach you how to read?” Yongsun asked shyly. 

The alpha looked at her in confusion before replying, “What? Me? I’m an alpha, I don’t need to know how to read.” She shrugged. 

Yongsun scoffed, “Everyone needs to know how to read. Omega’s just tell alpha’s that it’s unnecessary to create more of a power balance in an omega’s favour.” 

Byul had no response to that. Her mother had told her that she didn’t need to bother with reading. She trusted her mother’s judgement. Her once perfect picture of her parents became muddier and muddier each day. 

“I don’t know if I can.” 

“I’ll teach you.” Yongsun took the alpha’s hands in hers and forced Byul to look up at her. 

They settled on going upstairs to learn, it was away from her two sisters and quiet enough for Byul to concentrate. Yongsun began by teaching Byul the alphabet and getting her to repeat it and write it over and over again until she could recite it without much help from the princess. 

“No way is that my name.” Byul laughed at Yongsun’s handwriting. 

“It is! Look,” She pointed at the first word, “Moon,” then the second, “Byul,” and then the third, “Yi.” 

Byul looked amazed at the letters in front of her, “But, it’s a box sitting on top of a few lines!”

“Yes. And that box sitting on a few lines is your family’s name.” Yongsun chuckled. 

“Can you write it on my arm?”

“Why?”

“So I can remember it! I’ve never seen my name written before.”

“What happens when you wash it away?”

“Then you can come and write it back on.” 

Yongsun contemplated it for a while before handing her quill over to the thief, “Why don’t you write it?” 

Byul grabbed it in her excitement and dipped it in the ink pot in front of her. She hovered over a spot on her left arm before her mind went blank, “How does it look again?” 

After nearly five minutes of Byul trying to nearly write her own name on her arm, she was finally satisfied with how it looked. She proudly waved her arm in the direction of the princess before handing her back the quill. 

“What’s your name?” Byul asked. 

Yongsun grinned before effortlessly scribbling down her own name and handing the paper over to the alpha. Byul studied it for a few seconds before placing it down on the floor and turning to the princess. 

“I still can’t read, but your name looks just as beautiful as it sounds.” 

The princess blushed again and looked away from the alpha sat next to her. She stood up slowly and peaked out from one of the windowless frames that accompanied the wall they were facing. She spotted Hyejin laughing with Joohyun on one side of her and Wheein on the other. Hyejin was wolfing down the stew that Joohyun cooked whilst gratefully accepting the bread Wheein offered her through shaky hands. 

Yongsun was still upset over how Byul grabbed her friend so aggressively but she knew it wasn’t without cause. Wheein was a timid girl, afraid of her own shadow. So it was only natural for Byul to be protective over her. 

But Hyejin wasn’t a typical rich omega. She had a heart. Everyone belonged in her heart and there was enough room for everyone and anyone. Yongsun knew she would never intentionally hurt the alpha. It’s just trying to convince Byul of that fact. 

She hadn’t notice the alpha creep up behind her until she smelt the familiar soothing smell of the alpha’s scent. She held out her left arm proudly to show off her own name and a new one underneath it. 

“You wrote my name on your arm?” Yongsun giggled. 

The alpha nodded, “I heard you say a few weeks ago to Seulgi and Yesol that if you write something down enough times, the pattern of what you write gets stuck in your head and you never forget it.” 

Yongsun glanced back to their papers and saw how many times Byul actually wrote the words ‘Kim Yong Sun’. She saw the more sloppy handwriting improve slightly before seeing a more intelligible scribble on Byul’s forearm. She traced the now dry ink and the action erupted a small shiver from Byul. 

“Do you want to keep learning?” Yongsun whispered softly. 

“We’ve been up here for too long.” Byul sighed, “Aren’t you worried about leaving your friend with a bunch of alpha’s?”

The princess snorted, “You’re joking right? I’m more surprised that the alpha’s haven’t given her back to us and forcing us to leave. Hyejin’s a handful.” 

She looked out of the windowless frame once again and her gaze landed back on her friend. Byul followed her and scowled slightly at the scene in front of her. She knew Hyejin didn’t mean any harm, but it was hard to trust anyone around Wheein. Especially an omega. She took a few calming breaths before chanting in her head over and over, ‘Yongsun trusts her. You trust Yongsun.’

“Let’s go down.” Yongsun suggested. 

Byul nodded and followed the princess down the stairs. She stopped Yongsun from leaving with a slight tug on the princess’ wrist. They looked at one another before Byul squinted her eyes and opened a chest on the floor. She held up a great and thick white wolfs pallet. 

“I know you’re cold.” Byul swung it around the princess’ shoulders, “We were attacked by a pack of wolves and luckily no one was severely injured. I took down this guy and an alpha that was a tailors servant made it into a coat.” 

“Thank you.” The blush from earlier crept back onto her cheeks. 

“You’re welcome.” Byul grinned. She quickly grabbed her outer layers that she threw off when she entered the house and shoved them back on before opening the sliding door and walking Yongsun to the campfire. 

The pallet was as warm as one could imagine. It was almost as thick as the sheets she slept in back at the palace. She squeezed it tighter against herself as she took a seat close to Hyejin. Byul sat as close as she could next to her. Almost as though she was warning the other alpha’s to stay away from the omega. 

“Tell me about these people.” Yongsun whispered across to Byul. 

“What would you like to know?”

“What happened to them? Why are they here?” 

Byul sighed and turned to the princess. Her expectant gaze was about to be smacked off her face when she realised what had happened to these alpha’s. 

The alpha cleared her throat, “Most of them are here because their owners died and the family didn’t want to keep them. Alpha’s are treated like unwanted pets. Sometimes they’re even buried with their omega owner. These ones, however, were just lying in the streets of the poor districts and waiting for deaths warm embrace.” 

“Couldn’t they just find a new master?”

“No.” Byul almost snapped at the term ‘master’, “Once an alpha is claimed, no one can stake a claim to them unless they’re immediate family. They just rot away in the poor districts when their owner dies or doesn’t want them anymore.”

Yongsun scooted impossibly closer to Byul and placed a soft hand on her knee, “I’m sorry.” 

The alpha shook her head and cleared her throat, “It’s okay.” She offered the princess a weak smile and placed her own hand on top of the omega’s. “Some of these alpha’s were sentenced to death but me and a few others took them before their execution and brought them here. Others are sex slaves we freed from brothels.”

“Like Wheein?”

“Exactly like Wheein, but they’re less mentally damaged than her.” Byul sighed. 

Yongsun snuck a glance towards the young alpha and saw her engaged in a full conversation with Joohyun and Hyejin. She had never seen Wheein act like this with herself and she had been around Wheein for months. It was refreshing to see her smile and she knew then and there that her decision to bring Hyejin along was a good one. 

“I think Wheein likes her.” 

Byul rolled her eyes, “Wheein trusts people too easily, I hope your friend takes that into consideration.” 

“She will,” Yongsun assured her, “Hyejin is kind and sweet. She won’t hurt Wheein.” 

“I hope you’re right, princess.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always thank you to everyone who engages with this story. I hope it’s keeping you occupied during this pandemic. Stay safe, wash your hands and wear a mask!
> 
> :)


	5. The Fort

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> M rating for sexual reasons. Nothing too graphic.... yet.

Hyejin’s life was simple, elegant and extremely boring. Growing up as an omega in one of the richest family’s in the kingdom was never as glamorous as one might expect. Yes, she got the finest diamonds money could buy. Yes, she gained the best education in all the land. And yes, she was fed the best and most luxurious meals every day. 

But Hyejin was born with something not all omega’s in her situation were born with. Awareness. 

On her tenth birthday her parents surprised her with an alpha of her own that was to cater to whatever whim Hyejin had. Whether it be getting snacks from the kitchens or doing handstands in the rain for Hyejin’s own amusement, her parents were insistent that this girl would do whatever Hyejin wanted. 

Hyejin wanted a friend. 

Joohyun, she discovered her name after trying to initiate a conversation with the alpha for twenty minutes, was a short, pretty and scared alpha. She came from the more richer part of the poor district. Her family always had food on the table and her and her siblings always had clean clothes on their backs. 

It took a huge amount of time before Joohyun would actually talk freely with Hyejin. The omega had only ever had one friend before, her parents insisted on her becoming friends with princess Kim Yongsun. They did not want her to have anyone else as they may get priority over Yongsun, an no one is more important than the princess. The more Hyejin got to know Joohyun, the more she became ashamed with herself for claiming the alpha. 

Claiming an alpha for something other than mating purposes was a horrific and painful thing to do. The clan crest and omega name is moulded onto a steel bar, placed over a fire for ten to twenty minutes, then the alpha is held down (to prevent any fight or flight instincts kicking in) and the steel bar is pressed down hard against the scent gland on their necks. Something Hyejin had to do with Joohyun. 

The years flashed by and Hyejin’s ownership of the alpha turned into friendship. She allowed Joohyun to be as open as she wished around her but only in private so that the alpha didn’t provoke the rage of the Ahn family for insubordination. 

When Hyejin reached the age of fourteen, her parents threw a small party for her and invited a few family members. The princess had to refuse the invitation as she was currently in Japan, but made sure to send her friend a gift basket filled to the brim with Japanese goodies. 

Joohyun spent most of the party stood behind Hyejin - alpha’s weren’t allowed to sit - and staring off into space. The omega didn’t ask anything of her alpha, she just allowed her to get lost inside her own thoughts. Her thoughts, however, were filled by a certain omega cousin. 

Hyejin caught her staring at her cousin for a while. What surprised her the most was her cousin staring right back. She didn’t feel the possessive tug in her heart that most omega’s felt whenever another omega was ogling their alpha. Instead she stood up, beckoned Joohyun to follow her and took a seat next to her cousin, Seulgi. 

She originally teased Seulgi. Asking her why she keeps looking at her alpha when she has her own. Asking her if she finds her alpha attractive. Seulgi just blushed and mumbled out a few excuses. 

Seulgi and Joohyun were a similar age. Both over the age of twenty with maybe a year separating them. They got along well from what Hyejin could tell. She could see a spark between them and she loved the fact that Seulgi allowed Joohyun to speak freely, as though they were equal. 

After her party she constantly helped Joohyun sneak out of her house and sneak into Seulgi’s. This secret affair gave Hyejin the excitement she was after. It lasted a whole year until it turned sour. 

Rich nobles usually bought holiday homes down towards the south of the kingdom where the ocean was. These homes were mainly used for their omega family members that were going through their heat. Beta guards stood at every entrance to fight off any stray alphas that smelt the call of an omega in heat. 

Seulgi had snuck Joohyun in without Hyejin’s permission. 

Hyejin was frantic with worry. She had no idea where her alpha was. She called for the guards to look for her and make sure she wasn’t dead in a ditch somewhere. She couldn’t understand why Joohyun would run away, she treated her alpha as an equal and let her do whatever she wanted when they were in private. 

Many sleepless nights accompanied Hyejin’s worry. She had half of the kingdoms guards out looking for her alpha (the perks of being best friends with the princess) and she had even convinced her father to allow her to look for Joohyun herself. 

She was found, however, five days later in Seulgi’s holiday home. She was still knotted inside the omega when the guards broke down the door. If it wasn’t for Seulgi using her entire body to shield the alpha from them, she’s certain they’d have chopped a certain part of her anatomy off just to rid them of the tie. 

Joohyun was returned to the Ahn household, still naked and supporting various bite marks over her body. Hyejin’s parents refused to allow the alpha back into the house so she was forced to her knees in the mud just outside their door. 

Hyejin rushed out with a blanket and wrapped it around Joohyun before throwing her own arms around the alpha’s neck and blubbering apology after apology at getting the alpha caught. Joohyun repeatedly told her it wasn’t her fault, it was her own fault for agreeing to accompany Seulgi during her heat. 

She had asked her parents what would happen next. They said it depended on whether or not Joohyun had sired a child with Seulgi. If Seulgi does not fall pregnant, then Joohyun faces banishment but if Seulgi is pregnant, Joohyun will be executed. 

Seulgi began to show a few months later and could no longer hide the bump from her family. Joohyun knew her fate. She assured Hyejin that she was okay with dying. She told the omega that the year she spent with Seulgi was the best thing she’s ever done and she has no regrets. If she could do it all again, she would. 

Hyejin did not accept the punishment handed to her alpha. She fought her parents, she fought the guards that came to arrest her, she fought everyone who tried to touch her alpha. In the end, she lost and Joohyun was taken away. 

On the day of the execution, Hyejin hatched a plan. It was simple enough in her head. Hijack the cart taking Joohyun to the hanging square and somehow release the alpha. A plan of this nature requires help. But a pregnant Seulgi was the only help she had. 

They spotted the cart leaving the fort and they sprang into action. Seulgi held her stomach tightly and began screaming for help. The two guards occupying the cart scrambled down when they recognised how high class this woman was. Seulgi was complaining about her stomach and the baby and these male beta guards were clueless at what to do. 

This gave Hyejin a small window to force open the doors to the cart and drag out a chained up alpha. Joohyun was shocked to see Hyejin’s desperate face wrench open the wooden doors but she didn’t question it. Instead she followed Hyejin deep into the poor district - where nobody will question an alpha running in chains. 

Eventually they made it to a blacksmith and Hyejin paid them handsomely to remove the chains from around Joohyun’s wrists and ankles. Seulgi finally made her way to them and embraced Joohyun. 

“I’m sorry.” Joohyun sobbed. “If I had just been an acceptable alpha and just stayed away from you, you wouldn’t be in this mess.”

“Joohyun, look at me!” Seulgi snapped after trying to catch the gaze of her lover and failing. Joohyun did as she was told. “I regret nothing. I love you and I’m proud of the year we spent together. Give me your hand,” Joohyun once again did as she was told, “This is our baby.”

The alpha could feel tears begin to sting her eyes as she held on to Seulgi’s bump. 

“Ours.” She whispered. 

“Ours.” Seulgi repeated. 

Hyejin, who had stepped away to give the couple privacy, came back and warned the other two about the guards. She reached into the bag she was holding and grabbed at a pouch filled to the brim with gold coins. 

Joohyun took it begrudgingly and hugged Hyejin one final time. She held her hand out for Seulgi to take but the omega shook her head. She explained why she couldn’t go with her alpha but she assured her that they’ll meet again. 

They promised each other. 

_____________

“I’ll go find Joohyun.” Hyejin felt humiliated and upset over how easy it was for the alpha to threaten her. 

Her shoulders slumped as she dragged her feet towards her oldest friend. Joohyun was stood by a huge pot that dangled over a roaring fire. She looked healthy, happy almost. 

The alpha greeted her once again with a huge grin and offered her a seat on a log. Hyejin smiled back sadly before gracefully sitting on the log. After not hearing a peep from the omega for a few minutes, Joohyun sat beside her. 

“What’s wrong?” The older girl asked. 

Hyejin sighed loudly before answering, “Byul just threatened to rip my throat out.” 

“Why?”

“Because I tried to ask that girl, Wheein, if she was okay.” 

Joohyun had a funny look on her face. She reached out and rubbed one of Hyejin’s shoulders lightly. “Yeah, she’s very protective of Wheein. Depending on what rumours you listen to, Byul had to drag Wheein away from deaths door a number of times before she created this place.” 

“What happened to her?”

“Byul?”

The omega shook her head, “No, Wheein.” 

“Like I said, it depends on what rumours you listen to. Nothing good happened to that girl, that’s all you need to know.” 

Hyejin looked over to Wheein. The girl was stood on her own with her hands still shaking slightly. She locked eyes for a brief moment with Hyejin before snapping her eyes back to the ground and walking to a nearby table. 

“How’s Seulgi?” The alpha looked anxious. 

“She’s doing really well.” Hyejin grinned, “You have a baby boy.” 

Joohyun looked as though she was going to cry. “What did she name him?”

“Daehyun.” The omega replied. “She wanted to keep a little bit of your name for him.”

Joohyun stood back up, poured some of her stew into a clean bowl and handed it to Hyejin. 

“Try it.” 

The omega took it gratefully. She slurped it down messily before Joohyun handed her some utensils. The taste was exquisite. It reminded her of all the meals Joohyun used to prepare for her back at home. 

“W-would you like some bread?” The same timid voice from earlier called over her shoulder. 

Hyejin turned to Wheein and offered her a friendly grin. “Yes please!” 

Wheein took the seat to Hyejin’s left and offered her a small loaf. “Byul used to bake the bread before we built this place,” she chuckled slightly, “It was so bad! I was sick for three days.”

The omega giggled. Wheein loved how it sounded. It was soothing to her, like an angel from heaven. She couldn’t help but giggle herself. 

The conversation flowed quite easily between the three of them. When the princess and the thief came back to the fire, they were shocked with how well Wheein and Hyejin got along. It was as though they’ve known each other for years. 

Joohyun excused herself after a while, head still pounding over the news of her son. Hyejin and Wheein bid her goodnight before falling back into a full and comfortable conversation. 

The princess interrupted them, letting them know that it was time to leave. They begrudgingly said their goodbyes before Byul began to leave with the princess. Hyejin had to jog to catch up. 

The three girls were tired and their lack of conversation on their way back to the palace reflected that fact. Hyejin was grateful that they didn’t need to climb as many things on the journey home as before. 

Hyejin was the first to leave. They passed by her home quickly before climbing the still unguarded wall that lead to the palace. 

“I won’t see you for a few weeks.” The princess spoke up just as they reached her garden. 

“How come?” Byul asked. 

Yongsun turned to the alpha with a mysterious glint in her eyes. “I’ll be away in our holiday home for two weeks. I leave tomorrow.”

“Why visit your holiday home? It’s the middle of winter, won’t it be too cold to jump into the ocean?” 

Rolling her eyes, the omega replied, “I’m not going so I can jump in the sea! My heat starts in a week. I don’t want to be in the palace when it does.”

Yongsun could feel the air change around the alpha at the mention of her heat. Alpha’s. She chuckled to herself. Byul couldn’t stop staring at her and if Yongsun looked down, she could tell why. 

“Are those trousers too tight as well?” She giggled softly behind her hand. 

Byul looked at her confused before following her gaze, “Oh!” She almost yelled as her hands try to cover up her crotch, “I’m sorry! It’s just my alpha instincts reacting to your heat.” 

“Your untrained alpha instincts?” The princess asked, “You should train them. We wouldn’t want you getting hard thinking about just any omega in their heat.” 

“One, this has never happened before. The mention of an omega in heat has anyways just been a ‘bleh’ thing to me. And two, you’re not just any omega.” 

Before Yongsun could challenge the alpha on what she meant, she could faintly hear her sisters voice coming from the open door that lead to her bedroom. She pushed Byul into the nearby bushes and commanded her to stay put. 

“Yongsun!” Her sister frantically yelled from the younger girls balcony. 

“I’m here!” The women in question yelled back to her sister. 

“What are you doing down there?!” Yonghee questioned. 

Yongsun looked around quickly before answering, “I was admiring the flowers.”

“Yongsun, it’s winter, they’re all dead.”

“Some of them aren’t.”

“Which ones?”

“You can’t see from up there.”

“I’ll come down.”

“No it’s okay! I’m coming back inside.” 

“Hurry up then, you still haven’t packed and you leave tomorrow.” 

Yongsun watched as her sister disappeared back into her bedroom. She turned to the alpha that was still very much stuck in the bushes. She laughed loudly before helping the thief out. 

“When can I come back?” Byul asked, still uncomfortably adjusting her trousers. 

“Come back in sixteen days.” 

“Okay.” The alpha grinned. 

They stared at one another for a few seconds before Yongsun broke out in a fit of giggles.

“What will you do about that?” She pointed towards Byul’s very apparent erection. 

The alpha blushed, “It’ll go down eventually.” She sighed, “Besides, it’s your fault for mentioning your heat!” 

“Byul,” the princess sighed, “If I could help it go down, I would,” she tossed Byul a wink and a smirk, “But as you know, I have to pack. Goodnight.” 

The alpha groaned as she felt herself get even harder at the suggestive tone behind the princess’ words. 

“I thought you were a kind princess.” Byul complained as the fabric in her undershorts began to rub painfully against her member. 

The princess didn’t answer. Instead she once again threw a wink and a smirk at Byul before disappearing into the palace and leaving a slightly aroused Byul behind. 

“You better go down.” She growled. 

It didn’t go down. Byul had to walk through the streets of the kingdom with it poking out. She even had to stick a hand down her trousers just to flatten it when climbing up a few houses to stop it hitting off things. 

The walk through camp was awkward. She was convinced that the alpha’s who couldn’t see her arousal could smell it instead. She avoided every alpha that tried to approach her and almost ran into her home. 

Her sisters were still passed out in front of the fire and she could hear the snores of Wheein overhead. She awkwardly climbed the ladders leading up to her own bedroom before dropping down hard on her bed mat. 

“Why won’t you go down?” Byul moaned. 

She began to think about how she got hard in the first place and was immediately reminded of the princess’ heat. She groaned again as she imagined how desperate the princess would be during her heat to seek any form of pleasure available. 

Byul opened the sliding door to her bedroom just to get another confirmation that everyone was asleep. Satisfied, she closed it again. 

Her imagination wandered once again to the princess during her heat. As she slowly pulled her trousers and undershorts down to her thighs, she imagined the princess doing it instead of her. Her member sprang to attention and slapped off her stomach. 

She closed her eyes and held her cock with a firm grip. Images of the princess flooded her eyelids as she began stroking herself quickly. Her mind made up a image of the princess withering under her begging the alpha to knot her and her stokes became harder. 

She imagined seeing the princess naked for the first time. She imagined the princess opening her legs wide to allow the alpha to go in between them. She imagined pumping hard into the princess and having the princess scream obscenities into her ear. 

Byul’s fingers were coated in precum and she used it to easily slide up and down her shaft. Her already fast pace quickened. She could feel an unfamiliar coil in her lower abdomen. She knew she was close to a release. 

When she imagined the princess’ lips wrapped around her cock, it was too much for her. Her hips jerked into the air as a warm white liquid erupted from her member. Her hands, shirt and a bit of her bed mat were covered in this white mess. 

She allowed herself to fall fully to the floor and raised her arms over her eyes. She groaned slightly and shifted uncomfortably. She’d never masterbated over an actual person before. Truth be told, she’d only ever done it once before when she was fifteen. 

Byul didn’t have much time to really process what she just did as a loud yell erupted from their camp. She quickly changed her shirt and pulled up her undershorts and trousers. She ran out of the house with Wheein close on her heels to investigate what was going on. 

Chuyoung was panting loudly and mumbling complete gibberish when Byul reached him. He looked at her with the most guiltiest expression she has ever seen on an alpha. 

“What happened? Are you okay?” Byul checked him over for any injuries. 

Chuyoung signed his answer to Wheein who translated it for Byul. 

“He says, ‘Yoon and I were trying to sell our soju to the people inside the kingdom and the guards found us. I ran away while they arrested Yoon.’” 

Byul was furious, “You’re both fucking idiots! Why would you sell anything to the people inside the kingdom?”

Chuyoung kept signing desperately and Wheen translated again, “‘We thought it would be a good idea to make extra money for the village. We didn’t expect to get caught. Yoon told me to run. I came here as quickly as I could.‘“ 

“Where did they take him?”

“‘I’m sorry. I don’t know.’”

Byul screamed in frustration. Yoondo was one of her most trusted friends. He was one of the first alpha’s Byul had saved from execution. He wasn’t someone you let die without a fight. 

“Right,” She sighed loudly, “If they know who he is, they would have taken him to the fort.”

“And if they don’t know who he is?” Wheein asked. 

“Chances are, they still would have taken him to the fort. He’s a claimed alpha that clearly isn’t working under the orders of his owner. What I need is someone that’s escaped.... JIN!” Byul pushed past Chuyoung and ran off in the direction of one of the houses. 

Wheein followed her. As Byul pushed her way past the alpha’s that were gathered around them, Wheen offered them apologies on the older alpha’s behalf. 

Byul wrenched open the sliding door to one of the houses and yelled, “Seokjin!” 

The alpha in question stood up so quickly that he fell over his own feet and crashed into Byul and Wheein. Byul did not move when Seokjin landed on her. Instead she dragged him to his feet. 

“You escaped the fort before, right?” She asked him. 

He groggily nodded his head and yawned. 

“Awesome, I need you to come with me.” 

Byul grabbed anything she deemed necessary to help her break into the fort. Wheein followed her into their house. 

“Byul you can’t go.” Wheein held onto one of Byul’s arms. 

“I have to.” The older alpha sighed, “I can’t leave Yoon in there to be tortured.”

“What about your sisters? What happens to them if you get caught?”

“I won’t get caught.” Byul shrugged. 

Wheein’s voice broke slightly, “Your arrogance will be your death someday.” 

Byul stopped what she was doing, turned to her friend and embraced her in a long hug when she realised the younger girl was crying. 

“You know where to go if I don’t come back, right?” Byul pulled away enough to look the shorter girl in the eyes. 

“Yes.” Wheein nodded, tears still making tracks down her cheeks. 

“Two days.” The older alpha firmly said, “If I’m not back in two days, grab the emergency gold and go somewhere safe, then take a boat to Japan and take care of my sisters.” 

Wheein sobbed slightly, “I will.”

“Get Seulgi to write a note, she’s the only one here that can write well enough for the princess to understand. Leave the note with Chuyoung. I don’t want her to think I’ve ran away like a coward. Make sure the letter explains where I am. Don’t include where you are just in case it falls into the wrong hands. Do you understand?” 

The younger alpha nodded again. 

“I’ll be in and out. I promise I’ll be back.” 

________________

Seokjin was sentenced to life in prison after being accused of stealing from a rich omega family. The charges were wrong. The family in question had misplaced a jewellery box that they had found several days after Seokjin’s incarceration. They never did get round to telling the guards that and allowed Seokjin to rot away without feeling any sort of remorse for the young boy. 

He escaped a few months into his sentence, but only Byul knew about it. He was terrified that someone would rat him out to the guards and he’d be thrown back in. But there was something about Byul that made him tell her everything. 

The sun began to rise in the distance as they hopped from rooftop to rooftop to get to the fort. 

The fort was one of the only buildings inside the kingdom that was made completely by stone. An architect from the western world designed it nearly a century ago. Nearly one hundred thousand slave alpha’s died building this prison. It was surrounded by a moat with a draw bridge being the only way in or out. 

Seokjin stopped at the highest point on a house and pointed towards the fort. Byul caught up with him and followed his gaze. 

“There’s a tunnel, right there,” He pointed under the water, “It’ll lead you to the guards quarters. From there you need to head left along the corridors until you’ve reached the alpha section. I don’t know if Yoon will be held in the lower, middle or upper floors so you’ll have to search. I’d suggest stealing a guards uniform.” 

Byul nodded her head and pulled something out of her pocket, “Yep, I’ll have to pretend to be a beta. Good thing I’ve got this.”

“What’s that?”

“Garlic.”

“What are you going to do with it?”

“Shove it up my ass.” Byul rolled her eyes, “What do you think I’m going to do with it? I’m going to eat it and then the rank smell of the garlic should mask my natural alpha scent.” 

“Will that even work?”

Byul shrugged, “It’s worked before and it should be enough to trick some beta’s or warn them away from coming near me.” 

Seokjin rolled his eyes, “Good luck. Want me to wait for you?” 

“No. Head straight back to the village and wait for us.” 

Seokjin nodded and hopped to the next rooftop in his haste to get back home before the sun had fully rose. Byul watched him leave until he was completely out of sight, then turned back to the fort. She sighed before taking a few steps backwards then running and leaping off the roof. 

She fell feet first into the water. It was freezing. She felt like little knives all over her were stabbing her. Her body was in slight shock. She didn’t have enough time to fully recover so she swam to the tunnel while her body began developing pins and needles. 

She almost drowned by the time she reached the surface. She ran up the stairs and stopped by a door that lead to the guards chambers. She placed her ear to the door and listened intently to any guards that may be milling around. 

Shaking, she turned the handle when she realised there was no one beyond the door. She was freezing. She’s sure her hair was turning to ice. The guards chambers were warm enough to stop her from freezing up entirely. 

Byul scoured the room for any types of uniforms. Some were too big, some were too small. She ended up opting for the trousers that were too big and the top that was too small before turning to the armour. Luckily her chest piece fit perfectly as did her helmet that hid her soaking wet hair. 

There were a few swords and knives lay about on the side and Byul made a play to grab as many as she could. They’d come in handy if she needed to fight her way out. Once she was satisfied with how she looked and how she smelt, she headed off in the direction of the alpha’s section. 

She knew that she had to play the part of a beta woman. She had to act entitled yet polite to all those around her. Like she’s better than everyone and no one at the same time. 

Byul wandered aimlessly for a while before she was stopped by another guard. This man took a liking to her immediately and even placed an oversized hand on her shoulder. Byul chuckled inwardly at the thought of him discovering that she was an alpha. 

“Hello, Miss.” He smiled at her. 

Byul bowed her head, “Hello.” 

“I haven’t seen you here before, first day?” 

“Yes.”

“If you need any help, come see me,” He winked at her and she felt slightly sick, “Jihyuk.” He pointed at his chest. 

Byul smiled politely, “Soyun.” She pointed back at herself, “Actually, I am a bit lost, I was told to guard the alpha section and I’m afraid I’ve taken a wrong turn.” 

Jihyuk grinned, “Down this corridor, turn left and go up a flight of stairs and then you’re inside the nest of those vile alpha’s.” 

“Thank you, Jihyuk.” Byul bowed once more, “Have a nice day.” 

She knew the beta’s eyes were on her ass as she walked away and she was more than grateful for the baggy trousers she was currently wearing. She followed the guards instructions and was surprised that no one else approached her. Maybe it was the garlic. 

She wandered down corridors for nearly an hour before spotting Yoon’s cell. She had to stop herself from sprinting straight to the bars. She stepped in front of it and turned to face outwardly.

“Yoon.” She whispered it loud enough for the man behind the bars to hear but not loud enough for anyone else to. 

Yoon snapped his head up at the sound of his name. He stood up and made his way to the guard with shaky legs. 

“How do you know my name?” Yoon whispered back. 

Byul looked to her right and then her left. Turning to Yoon, she smiled, “I’ve had to save your ass so many times it’s only polite that I know your name.” 

“Byul!” Yoon whispered a sigh of relief, “What are you doing here?”

“Rescuing you, of course!” Byul turned back around at the sound of footsteps. “How can I get you out?” 

“The head guard has the keys.” Yoon explained, “His office is through that door in front of you.” 

Byul nodded her head and took off slowly in the direction of the head guards room. He was inside, chuckling to himself as he took a large gulp from his drink. Byul could tell he was intoxicated. This would be the perfect opportunity to take the keys and leave almost unnoticed. 

She knocked before she could enter. His gruff voice allowing her inside. His scowl was quickly replaced with a warm smile. She sat down in the chair he offered her. 

“What can I do for you?” He asked. 

Byul smiled the sweetest smile she could at him, “I’m just on a break and wanted someone intelligent to talk to.” 

The man laughed, “You’ve come to the right place, girl. What would you like to talk about?”

The alpha quickly glanced around his desk. “This.” She pointed at the piece of paper he was scribbling on before she came in. 

“Ah,” He picked up the paper, “You see, we’ve been having a bit of a backlash with publicly hanging alpha children so I’ve been proposing a private hanging unit right here in the fort.”

Byul felt the wind get knocked out of her lungs at the mention of alpha children being publicly murdered. She took in a few deep breaths before responding. 

“What would an alpha child have to do to be sentenced to death?” 

“They’re thieves.” The beta guard snarled, “If they steal at a young age then they’re tainted and practically worthless. These public hangings were supposed to put these children off committing such crimes but it just enraged the nobles that had to watch a child die.” 

Byul stood up and walked around the desk so she could get a better look at these plans. She quickly spotted the keys to Yoon’s cage on the belt of the guard. The alpha knew the best way to get these keys was to flirt her way to them. A hand placed on his shoulder turned into a hand on his arm and before she knew it, her hand was over the keys. 

It was ridiculously easy to snatch these keys away from the head guard, but Byul wasn’t complaining. She allowed one of her hands to linger on the guards shoulder for more than necessary as she began to make her way to the door. 

“Wait!” The guard called. 

Byul froze in panic. She got caught. She’s certain she got caught. She’s imagining her life behind bars begging the guards to take pity on her and give her more food. She’s imagining how Wheein would cope with Seulgi and Yesol. The look on the princesses face when she sees her hanging from the hanging square. 

“Your name.” He stood up, “What’s your name?”

The alpha let out a breath and turned slightly, “Soyun.” She bowed her head before almost running out of the door. 

Byul walked as casually as she could out from the office and back to Yoon’s cell. He looked at her expectantly as she held up the keys. She did one last sweep of her surroundings to make sure no one was around and then shoved the keys into the lock and with Yoon’s help, pushed the door open. 

“Here.” Byul shoved the knives she had into the mans hand. 

They silently made their way through the fort. The screams of nearby alpha’s and the cries from children were the only things they could hear. They hid behind corners and quietly tiptoed around snoozing guards on their way back to the guards quarters. 

Once Byul opened the doors, she shredded herself of the uniform and struggled putting her own wet clothes back on. Yoon turned around and allowed the younger alpha privacy as she changed. He laughed to himself when he heard her struggle. 

“Let’s go.” Byul pulled on Yoon’s arm. 

Yoon almost screamed at how cold the water was. He had to bite down hard on his tongue as Byul guided them from the tunnel and back into the open air of the outside world. 

They made their way back to the village in silence. Yoon’s thoughts were all over the place. He couldn’t understand why Byul of all people would personally come and rescue him. He thought she’d leave him. Breaking out of the fort was risky enough on your own, but breaking into the fort to break someone out was suicide. 

But Byul did it. For him. Maybe she really was sent from god after all. 

The cheers that erupted from the village when they returned was enough to make them both blush. Wheein rushed over to them with fresh and warm clothes just as Byul began to strip off her wet and icy ones. 

Once her body had stopped violently shaking, Byul approached Yoon. He grinned at her. She slapped him. 

Silence now engulfed the village. Byul’s ragged breathing was the only thing that could be heard. 

“Don’t you ever do anything that stupid again!” She yelled. 

Yoon nodded his head, his hand covered his now red cheek. “I’m sorry,” He bowed, “Why did you come and get me?” The question was bugging him. 

Byul looked around slightly before hopping onto a wooden crate and addressing the whole village, “Listen up! I know every single person here by name. I know why you’re here and what you’ve gone through. I’ve personally saved most of you from dying in the streets. You are my people. I will walk through fire and jump through the jaws of hell to save you all. But you all need to understand that I cannot protect you if I die trying to save you. If you are claimed, stay away from the kingdom. You’re safe here. You’re safe with us! We are your family now.” 

She jumped down from the crate and stumbled slightly on her way back to her house. Her two sisters were still asleep inside. She approached them quietly and lay down in between their bed mats. The room was hot enough without the added aid of a blanket so she stayed on her back and allowed sleep to take over. 

At that moment in time, Byul had no idea how powerful her words and actions were. She was clueless to the effect it had on the broken alpha’s that were still stood in silence outside her home. Byul didn’t know that saving Yoon could have such a dramatic effect on the future of the kingdom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos’ always welcome :) enjoy guys.


	6. The Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a Trigger Warning for this chapter. It involves sexual assault and Wheein’s past. If it does make you uncomfortable I do suggest skipping this chapter. It’s nothing graphic, but could upset a few people.

Yongsun yawned as she was helped out of her bed by her handmaiden. Her bags were packed and already in the carriage by the time she was awoken. To her, her heat was nothing but an inconvenience. A break without a break. If she could live the rest of her life without them, she would. 

Spending a week basically unconscious with twenty guards and two maids listening to her having orgasm after orgasm to quell the thirst of an omega in heat was not only inconvenient, it was hugely embarrassing. The king often told her it was easier to cope with when you find yourself a mate to accompany you through your heat. Especially if that mate is an alpha rather than a beta. 

Yongsun briefly wondered whether or not she’d actually want to spend her heat with anyone. For an omega to share something as intimate and special as their heat with someone, they had to be special. Her traitorous thoughts allowed herself to think about the thief and whether or not she thought the thief was classed as ‘special’ in her mind. 

Before her thoughts of Byul were anything graphic, she was interrupted by a servant alpha of the king. 

“Your highness.” He bowed, “The king wishes to see you in his study before you leave.”

“Thank you.” She smiled at him. 

Yongsun was pretty sure that she was the only member of the royal family that the alpha servants wouldn’t spit on if they had the chance. Before she left for Japan when she was sixteen, she treated alpha’s very much like the king did. They were her play things, nothing more and nothing less. Just there to occasionally amuse her and perform chores for her. Her eyes were opened in Japan as was her mind. Every day that ticks by her guilt at how she treated alpha’s would weigh heavily on her mind. 

But then she’d think of the village. All the hard work Byul and the rest had put into it with gold from her own jewellery box. Nothing will ever erase the cruelty she made the alpha’s in the palace endure, but her conscience weighed a stone lighter knowing there was some sort of kind future for those alpha’s. 

She stopped by the kings study and knocked a few times. The door was opened by another alpha servant, one she has known all her life. He was one of the best trained alpha’s the palace had ever known. Yongsun, with the help of Yonghee, had tried so hard when they were children to try and break this man’s ever obedient ways. She brushed her cruelty off as she got older, ‘I was only a child.’ She used to scoff. But as soon as she stepped foot into the palace after departing Japan, she offered the alpha an apology and even kissed his cheek. 

His face was as neutral as ever as he opened the door as wide as it could go and bowed as Yongsun swept past him. The princess eyed him for a few seconds. He was getting old. His face was hollow and the bags under his eyes were getting bigger and blacker. Yongsun wondered whether the king would allow the alpha to work until his timely death or if he’d throw him out once he became too frail. 

“Your majesty.” Yongsun bowed her head slightly at the king. Normally, the princess would greet the king in a slightly less formal way, but he was currently surrounded by nobles from his court so she had to greet him like he was the king rather than her father. 

“Yongsun,” He grinned at his youngest daughter, “Come!” He beckoned her to sit next to him in the vacant chair to his right. 

As soon as the princess sat down, the nobles began to disperse. Not before bowing and saying their goodbyes to the king, of course. 

“You asked to see me?” Yongsun doesn’t know why it came out as more of a question, but the king answered anyway. 

“Yes. I wished to speak to you before you went off to our holiday home.” The king cleared his throat, “Yongsun, when you come back to the palace I will require you to take on more responsibilities such as, attending court sessions with me, socialising with the noble elite and joining in during war council meetings.”

Yongsun sat in slight confusion before voicing her concerns, “But, isn’t that what Yonghee is supposed to do?” 

The king sat back on his chair. “Yes, but...” He trailed off, clearly not knowing how to approach the delicate subject at hand, “Yonghee will not be the heir to this kingdom, Yongsun, you will.” 

“But... but... Yonghee is older than I am. The kingdom should go to her. I don’t understand.” 

“Your sister is six years older than you are.” The king began, “In that six year difference I have never seen her show any sort of interest in running my kingdom. She refused to be sent to Japan to learn under the emperor, she refused to learn politics and she refused to go to any court session or war council meeting. You’ve done everything I’ve ever asked of you, I have changed the law and you will be my successor.” 

Yongsun was at a loss for words. She still couldn’t fully understand why her father chose her to be the queen. Sure Yonghee had no interest at this very moment in time, but surely her mind would change once she matured. 

“You still look confused.” The king sighed, “Let me explain more.” He leant forward on his elbows and held the princess’ hands in his, “I trust you more than her. Well, that’s a bit unfair. It’s not that I don’t trust her, I just don’t trust her husband.”

Yonghee was permitted to marry whomever she wanted and she chose some noble beta man from a different kingdom. The king called him a social climber. He’s adamant the man only tried to court Yonghee to further his own career in politics. 

“You see, I do believe that Yonghee will make him king and I do not want him ruling over my kingdom. As you should know, a queen has a choice at whether or not she allows her husband to become king or stay as a prince. A king is more powerful than a queen, but if the queen is the only ruling monarch, then there is no one with more power than her.” 

The princess nodded, “And you don’t want to run the risk of Yonghee making her husband the king.” 

“Exactly.” The king released Yongsun’s hands and sat back on his chair, “I believe he will run this kingdom to the ground and I’d sooner allow an alpha to be king before him.”

Yongsun nodded once more and allowed her father to go on and on about how much he disapproved of his son-in-law. She was vaguely listening. She was more preoccupied with thoughts of becoming queen. When? She did not know. Whenever the king saw fit to step down and allow his youngest daughter to take over or whenever he dies and leaves Yongsun to inherit the kingdom. 

It was a lot to take in and suddenly Yongsun was glad she was about to go into her heat. Anything to get her mind off the fact that she was to become queen. 

____________

“What if we set the royal tavern on fire?”

“No.”

“We could steal the horses from the royal stables?”

“No.”

“What if we-“

“If it involves violence or theft then the answer is no.”

Byul rubbed her eyes in frustration. She was currently sat around the huge camp fire in the middle of the village with nearly every alpha huddled around it. 

When Byul came back with Yoon a few days prior, there was talk amongst a few alpha’s of a revolution. A revolution not unlike the one the omega’s had centuries ago to rid themselves of the oppression alpha’s put them through. But these alpha’s wanted war and Byul knew that they would not win a war against the king. 

“We have to do something!” Heeyeon smacked a fist against her leg. 

“Listen,” Byul stood up, “If we start attacking buildings or guards then we will simply not win this fight.”

“It worked for the omega’s.” Yoon commented.

The unofficial alpha leader turned to him, “And why did it work for the omega’s? A number of reasons, actually.” She held up her hand, “One, the omega’s were spread out within the kingdom. They were not clumped up in one place like we are. All it takes is for one guard to follow you back here and then we’re discovered. 

“Two, the omega’s tried peaceful methods before violent ones but it did not work. So instead they fought fire with fire and blew up a dojo to gather attention. They used violence because it’s the only thing the alpha king responded to.” 

Byul began to pace around the fire, “And finally, three, omega’s had help. Beta’s joined in with the omega’s because they were being oppressed by alpha’s too. We do not and will not have any beta help. If we are going to start a revolution, as you guys keep calling it, then we will have to do it the omega way.” 

“And what is the omega way?”

“We need an ally. Someone with enough influence in court to make an argument for us.”

“What about Lady Ahn?” Joohyun piped up, “I know she’d fight for us.”

Byul shook her head, “Maybe, but until her father steps down or dies, Lady Ahn will still not have enough influence. She’s only sixteen too.” 

Wheein cleared her throat, “I think we need royalty.” She blushed when she felt all eyes on her. 

“Solar?”

“Yes, what about Solar?!”

“Isn’t she a cousin of the king?”

“She could help, right?”

Numerous things were being yelled left, right and centre at Byul. She had to cover her ears as the chatter became louder and more excited. 

“Enough!” Byul yelled, “I do not know if Solar has that much influence over the king. I also do not wish to involve her in such matters. Isn’t it enough that she helped us pay for all this? We’ll have to think of someone else, Solar has done enough for us.” 

Heeyeon was the first to speak up after silence swarmed the camp. “What if we can somehow convince the princess? Yong-something.”

Chuyoung chuckled from his seat next to Wheein and signed something to her. 

“He said, ‘There’s two princess’ and they’re both called Yong. Can you be more specific? Hee or Sun?’”

“Which ever one is the eldest.” Heeyeon shrugged. 

“Yonghee is older.” Byul chipped in, “But we don’t know where she stands with alpha’s. She could hate us just as much as her father.” 

The excited chatter from only a few moments ago turned into crestfallen mumbles. A few alpha’s even decided to turn in for the night. Every suggestion they had was getting denied by Byul. They couldn’t understand why but they daren’t question the young leader. 

Byul could feel a headache coming on. She rubbed her eyes in frustration. “I’ll speak to Solar once she comes back and ask if she can arrange an audience with Yonghee. That’s the best we can hope for.” 

She made her way back home with Wheein following behind her. She doesn’t want to involve Yongsun more than she already has. Finding out the princess has been funding an illegal alpha refuge could and would cause a huge controversy within the kingdom. Yongsun is the kingdom’s sweetheart, she doesn’t need her name to be dragged into this type of scandal. 

____________

The worst thing about Lady Ahn knowing about the alpha camp was the fact that she entered whenever she wanted. Sunrise on a Monday morning? She’s here. Midnight on a Wednesday? She’s here. Dinner time on a Sunday when Joohyun makes her special weekly meal? You bet your arse she’s here. 

It wasn’t that Byul hated her. She didn’t hate her. It was the fact that Wheein liked her. Whenever Hyejin was around, Wheein gravitated towards her. Byul had never seen her act this way with anyone. The once normally timid and scared Wheein became a jokester whenever the omega was around. 

Byul nearly suffered whiplash from how quickly Wheein’s personality changed. She put it down to the soothing pheromones Hyejin gave off whenever she was around the alpha. It put the shorter alpha at ease and gave Byul a glimpse of what Wheein’s personality would have been like had she not suffered through being an alpha. 

Joohyun benefitted the most after Wheein from Hyejin’s presence. Being around one of the two omega’s that treated her like a human being rather than a pet did her the world of good. 

Hyejin had told Seulgi about Joohyun. The omega understood that she couldn’t see her alpha and instead gave the younger girl clothes that belonged to their son, that were too small for him, to give to Joohyun. They had his scent over them and were a huge comfort to Joohyun whenever she went to sleep. She even wrote her alpha letters which Hyejin had to read to her. She clutched onto the letters and clothes every night and dreamt of her omega and child. 

Byul felt herself getting more and more frustrated with every day that went by without seeing Yongsun. It was a strange feeling for her to be this attached to a single person. She had met and flirted with a wide range of omega’s before meeting Yongsun (mainly because she wanted to steal something from them) and none of them had any sort of effect on her. But one mention of the princess’ heat made Byul’s mouth become dryer than a desert and it made her crotch betray and embarrass her. 

Wheein caught on to Byul’s frustrations one afternoon after the older alpha had caught her youngest sister running around in the snow outside. Byul had snapped at Yesol for being so careless just after she had finally gotten rid of the cold. Yesol was close to tears but it quickly turned into laughter when Wheein threw a snowball at Byul’s face. 

Byul’s other sister, Seulgi, joined in with their snowball fight but joined Wheein’s team. The older alpha felt betrayed and made it her mission to win this battle. When Hyejin joined her team, she threw a smug grin at Wheein before throwing a huge clump of snow at her. 

The young omega was always accompanied home by Byul. She didn’t trust the streets at a night time and often scolded Hyejin whenever she was just turn up to the alpha village whenever it was dark. They often walked in silence, but this time Byul had something niggling on her mind. 

“Do you like her?” She asked. “Wheein, I mean.” 

Byul couldn’t tell if the omega was blushing or if it was just red because of the cold. Hyejin tried to repress a smile at the question. 

“I do.” She nodded. “Wheein is a wonderful person. She’s full of light and goodness.”

The alpha hummed at the answer. “Has she told you about her life before the village?” 

“Not much,” Hyejin sighed, “She told me about her grandmother who used to look after her. About how she lost her hearing and began to learn sign language so she could communicate through her hands. She told me how hard it was to learn it, but she loved her grandmother and was determined to be fluent.” 

The alpha smiled warmly. From what Wheein has told her, her grandmother was a lovely woman. Always took care of Wheein, fed her, clothed her and read her as many bedtime stories as the alpha wanted. When she lost her ability to hear, she began signing stories to Wheein instead. 

“She told me when she died, her parents took her back and sold her to a brothel.” Hyejin’s soft voice shook, “Wheein said that her grandmothers dying wish was for her son and daughter-in-law to keep Wheein and not sell her off into slavery.” 

Byul nodded grimly, “Her parents were offered a lot of gold for Wheein. That’s the life of an alpha in our society. We’re just property.” 

“I wish I could help more.”

The alpha stopped, “What do you mean?”

Hyejin turned, “I wish I could do something. Anything. I want what you want.” She slowly approached the alpha, “I want equality. Alpha’s have suffered long enough. Listening to the stories of those broken human beings in the village is heart breaking. I’ll follow my fathers footsteps and join the royal court in four years and when I do, you have my word that I will support the equality of alpha’s until my dying breath.”

Byul allowed her eyes to wander over Hyejin before stopping at her eyes and chuckling. “Yongsun was right about you. I owe her and you an apology.” 

“No, you don’t. I don’t blame you at all for being cautious around me. I’m sorry you and all those other alpha’s had to suffer through all that pain.” 

The alpha held out a firm hand for the omega to shake. Hyejin eyed it for a few seconds and rolled her eyes. She smacked it away and instead, sneaked her arms around the older woman’s waist and pulled her in for a hug. Byul stood frozen for a second or two before awkwardly hugging the omega back. 

“We should keep going.” Byul said after clearing her throat. 

The omega grinned and released her hold on the alpha. “Let’s go.” She motioned. 

A few more minutes of silence went by before it was broken. This time by Hyejin. 

“How did you two meet?” She asked. 

“Who?”

“You and Wheein.” 

Byul was slightly thrown off by the question. She had expected the omega to already know the story with how much Wheein’s already opened up to her. She shook her head subtly to clear her thoughts before she answered. 

“I was seventeen when we met. I was in the noble section of the kingdom and trying to steal some bread from a bakery. A guard caught me and chased me through the market but I climbed through the window of what I thought was someone’s house and lost him.” Byul took a deep breath, “And I saw her just lying there on a bed. She was crying. Her arms and legs were tied up and she had no clothes on.” 

A gasp from beside her made her stop. Wheein’s past was not a pretty one. Every time she thought about it, it made her sick to her stomach. She looked to Hyejin as if to ask if she should keep going, the omega nodded slightly. 

“She was mumbling and begging for me not to hurt her. I tried sending out soothing pheromones but the bastards that owned the brothel numbed her senses. I untied her and took off my own trousers and a shirt I was wearing and I dressed her. It took a while but I finally convinced her to follow me and I brought her to my home.” 

“To the village?”

The alpha shook her head, “No, to my family home. It took her nearly a year to be emotionally okay with being in the same house as two omega’s. Even if they were only four and eight at the time.” 

Hyejin tried to smile, “And now they’re inseparable.” 

“Yeah,” Byul nodded, “Wheein had to take care of them whilst I was out trying to steal food or coins. They bonded over the stories Wheein’s grandmother used to tell her.” 

“That’s sweet.” 

The alpha stopped once again, “I don’t know what your intentions are with Wheein. I don’t know if you’re even aware of the effect you’re having on her. I do know that Wheein has never been so at ease with anyone like she is with you. I need you to know that when she’s familiar around someone, she trusts too easily. You could tell her you’re Genghis Khan and she’d believe you.”

Hyejin sighed, “I won’t hurt her, if that’s what you’re trying to say.”

Byul walked towards the omega, “Please don’t. I won’t threaten you, my threats go without saying. But I know how to escape the fort so I don’t mind being arrested for ripping someone’s throat out.” 

“Do I need to say the same to you?”

“What?”

“‘Hurt my friend and I’ll kill you’?”

“I don’t know what you mean.” 

Hyejin giggled, “You and Yongsun, of course!” She lightly tapped Byul’s shoulder to get her to continue walking. 

“Again, you’ve lost me.” Byul tried to be nonchalant but the blush on her cheeks betrayed her. 

The omega rolled her eyes, “I’ve been around you two once and in that time she snapped at you for suggesting that I should hold onto you when climbing, you’ve warned every alpha with a glare to stay away from her and you two sit so impossibly close to one another, she may as well be at in your lap.” 

“Nonsense.” The alpha waved a dismissive hand towards the omega. 

“I even asked Wheein if she could see it and do you know what she said?” Hyejin paused hoping for an answer out of Byul. She continued when nothing came, “She said you get this weird look in your eyes whenever someone mentions ‘Solar’. She also said there’s been some weird noises coming from your room at night ever since she started visiting the village.” 

Byul’s cheeks flushed with a furiously dark red tinge. “That’s not true!” She almost yelled, “I only did that once and it was because she mentioned her heat!” 

Hyejin’s eyes widened in shock. “I... I was just kidding.”

The alpha’s expression turned into a glare. She glanced around quickly and thankfully they were outside Hyejin’s property. She bowed slightly before turning around. 

“Right, here we are. Goodbye.” Byul sprinted away before she could embarrass herself any further. Hyejin just chuckled and quickly snuck back into her home. 

Byul almost broke her ankles several times slipping on snow covered roofs and ice covered roads on her way back home. Hyejin shook her. She was a lot more perceptive than Byul gave her credit for. She’d have to be more cautious around the young omega in the future. She did trust her with keeping the village and all those in it a secret, but she didn’t trust her to not tell the princess about the secret she just revealed. 

Wheein was waiting patiently inside their home when Byul returned. Her grin from earlier when her, Seulgi and Yesol won the snowball fight hadn’t left. Instead it grew wider when she spotted Byul quietly enter the house. 

“Did she get home safely?” Wheein asked. 

Byul nodded, “Yeah, she’s good.” After taking one look at the shy smile on Wheein’s face, she continued, “I like her. I think she’d be good for this village and for you.”

The young alpha looked delighted as she sprang to her feet and ran to hug her best friend. 

“You mean that?”

“Yeah.”

Wheein separated herself, “I know I’ve only known her for a week and a few days but there’s something about her that makes me feel good. Not the same kind of good that you and the girls make me feel, but the kind of good that gives me hope. I can’t explain it.”

Byul patted the girls head, “I understand, Wheeinie.”

“Do you feel it too? With the princess?” 

The alpha was slightly stunned into silence by the question. She considered it for a few moments and smiled. “Kind of. The princess sometimes makes me feel like a carefree child. Then other times she makes me feel like a horny teenager. She deserves the world, the moon and the stars and that’s exactly why I can’t involve her more in this ‘revolution’. It could ruin her.”

Wheein lay her hand softly on Byul’s shoulder, “I think she’d love to help. You should give her a chance and let her say whether or not she’ll help us. Having an uncomfortable five minute conversation with her is surely worth it if we can have her on our side, don’t you think?” 

“Having her on our side is easier said than done, Wheein.” Byul sighed as she shrugged off the younger alpha’s hand and began to climb the ladder to her room, “Easier said than done.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always I hope you enjoyed :)


	7. The Virus

“Byul? I feel sick.” 

The alpha opened her eyes groggily at the sound of Seulgi’s voice. She lifted her head up slightly just in time to see her sister vomit all over the floor. Byul sprang to attention and grabbed a wooden bucket from the far corner of the room. She shoved it softly into Seulgi’s grasp and pulled the young omega into a sitting position in between the alpha’s legs. 

Byul ran a soothing hand through Seulgi’s hair and rubbed her back as the young girl continued to empty her stomach into the bucket. She could hear Seulgi’s quiet sobbing in between her vomits and and grew frustrated at the fact that she could do nothing but rub her sisters back. 

“It’s okay.” She repeated into her ear over and over again, “I’m here.” 

After a while, Seulgi seemed to calm down. Her stomach was completely empty and all she could manage was dry retching thin air. Byul could see her eyes becoming heavy and lay them both back down on Byul’s bed mat. She looked over to the sick on the floor and sighed to herself. She’ll have to deal with it in the morning as Seulgi had a vice grip on her shirt and refused to move. 

Morning came and Seulgi was still incredibly sick. Wheein had tried to feed her bread just so she could have something lining her stomach, but the omega refused. The mere sight of the bread making the girl retch again. 

Heeyeon, the village medic, was sent in to help diagnose what was wrong with the girl. Byul had suspected a simple stomach virus, but Heeyeon wasn’t so sure. She inspected the vomit from inside the wooden bucket and announced that there was some blood mixed in with the green sludge. 

“You need a specific medicine.” She whispered across to Byul. “Unfortunately only an adult omega can purchase it.”

Byul panicked. “Can’t I just take Yesol?”

Heeyeon shook her head. “No. They don’t like selling medicines to children because they’re worried that the child will be violently mugged for it. It’s a rare medicine but it heals almost every virus.” 

“Fuck.” Byul began pacing the room. “How long do you think....” she trailed off. Her voice broke and she couldn’t bring herself to ask how much time her sister had left. 

“If she goes untreated, maybe a few hours.” Heeyeon stood up, “But if you get me that medicine then she’ll have about sixty more years.” 

The alpha placed a kiss on her sisters forehead and left her house. She spotted Wheein sat with Yesol outside. Her youngest sister was wrapped up in nearly every blanket they owned and had to be fed by Wheein. Byul made her way to them, picked up Yesol and sat down with the omega on her lap. 

“How is she?” Wheein asked. 

Byul shook her head. “Bad. Heeyeon said that the only thing that will make her better is the medicine inside those walls.” She pointed towards the kingdom. “The only problem is the fact that only adult omega’s can buy it.” 

“What are you going to do?”

The older alpha shrugged her shoulders. As she spoke, her voice broke slightly, “I don’t know. It’s too early to go to the palace and ask Solar.” Byul was mindful that her sister could hear them and decided to use Yongsun’s alias. 

“What about Hyejin?”

“I don’t know if she’ll be at her home. I can’t wait until nightfall either. I may have to steal it.”

“Byul, you know you can’t steal medicine.” Wheein sighed as she scraped the last remnants of food from Yesol’s bowl and stuffing it in the omega’s mouth. “Each medical stall in the kingdom has at least two guards standing by. It’ll be stupid if you try and steal it.”

“What else can I do, Wheein?” Byul asked desperately. Tears filled the alpha’s eyes at the mere thought of losing her sister and began making tracks down her face. 

Wheein licked her lips. “Go and find Solar or Hyejin. They’ll help you no matter what.”

The older alpha nodded. If she was to infiltrate the palace during the day, she cannot rely on stealth alone. She needed a disguise. Her eyes roamed the village for a few seconds before her gaze fell on one particular alpha. 

“Chuyoung!” She yelled causing her younger sister to yelp at the volume. 

The alpha in question looked up in alarm before his eyes found those of the village leader. He scrambled to his feet and jogged over to where Byul was. 

“He said, ‘What’s wrong?’” Wheein once again translated. “You really need to learn sign language.” 

Ignoring her longtime friend, Byul asked, “When Solar rescued you, you were still wearing your palace uniform, right?”

He nodded. 

“Do you still have it?”

He nodded again. 

“Awesome.” Byul jumped to her feet and held her sister tight against her chest, the omega giggling as she did so. “I need it.”

Chuyoung turned on his heel and marched back towards his shared home to collect the uniform. As he did, Byul rounded on Wheein. 

“We still have left over ink from the last time Solar came. I need you to draw the claimed symbol that’s on Chuyoung’s neck on mine.” Byul instructed. 

Wheein nodded a few times and stood up. After Chuyoung had given Byul his old palace uniform he wandered back over to where Yoon was. Byul caught the questioning gaze of the male alpha and shook her head as if to say that things are bad. 

The younger alpha traced the symbol from memory. She caught herself staring at the abomination on Chuyoung’s neck one too many times and it embedded itself in her memory. It was picture perfect, maybe even better than Chuyoung’s. 

“If I don’t make it back-“ Byul started. 

“Shut up.” Wheein whispered, “You’ll make it back.”

The older alpha sighed, “You know what to do if I don’t make it back.” She wasn’t going to force Wheein to repeat the plan. If Byul doesn’t make it back, Seulgi won’t survive and Wheein is left with just Yesol. Byul isn’t sure Wheein would survive the psychological damage of losing someone she considers a sister. 

Wheein casts her eyes downwards as Byul gives her younger sisters a forehead kiss each. She hugs her longtime friend, touches their foreheads together and sighs. A few seconds pass before she leaves. 

Walking throughout the kingdom in broad daylight isn’t something new to Byul. Usually she has a safety net with her in the form of two omega children. But now she was on her own. The last time she was here alone during the day was before she met the princess. Human slave owners thought she was fair game and attempted to kidnap her and sell her to the highest bidder. Luckily she escaped through sheer skill and speed. 

Eyes bore into the side of her neck where the palace symbol was put. They were most probably wondering why a palace alpha was currently waltzing through the kingdom districts instead of waiting hand and foot on the royal family. 

Byul raised her head up defiantly. She did not like the attention she was begrudgingly gathering. She could hear the whispers amongst omega’s, some saying how poor her attitude is and others wishing they could have claimed her. She swears one omega even claimed that they’d make beautiful pups together. 

Luckily the palace walls came into view and the ever present horribly guarded wall that lead to the princess’ wing was currently being climbed by the alpha. If the palace was poorly guarded at a nighttime, it was nothing compared to how empty it was throughout the day. Byul felt herself get slightly angry over the fact that the princess’ and future heirs of the kingdom weren’t guarded as well as a fucking medicine stall down by the market. 

She shook her head and went directly towards Yongsun’s room. Climbing the walls was easy enough, as was hopping over the balcony. What was the hardest part was finding the princess. 

She opened the balcony doors and peeped inside. No sign of the princess. Byul would have just waited underneath her bed if it wasn’t for the time restraints. The alpha quickly made her way to the main door of Yongsun’s room and stuck her head out. 

After finding no one in the vicinity, she snuck out. She crept along many corridors and her feet started to ache slightly. She knew the palace was big, but this is ridiculous. Byul kept muttering to herself, “Who needs this many rooms?” She found herself saying every time she passed by a room. 

Byul opened one door slowly and quickly realised that it lead to the main lobby of the palace. A few guards spotted her but they seemed unfazed as she walked passed them. A few voices coming from the staircase below her stopped her in her tracks. 

Her body was hidden by the bannister of the staircase and she peaked her head out so she could see who was there. 

A man dressed in various expensive silks was stood with his back to Byul. To his left and right were two other men in slightly less expensive clothing. Byul swallowed slightly. The king was stood before her with a few members of his royal court. She craned her neck as much as she could without exposing her position to see if she can spot a way out. It was a bad idea coming here, she should have tried Hyejin first. 

A slight gasp snapped Byul’s attention back towards the king and that’s when she spotted the princess. Yongsun’s eyes were on her for a mere second before they were back on the king. The king held out a hand and asked if the princess was feeling alright. 

“I feel a bit unwell, father.” It wasn’t a complete lie. At the sight of the alpha, her stomach did several backflips and she’s pretty sure her hearts having a rave. 

The king looked at his daughter sympathetically. “I shall find someone to accompany you to your room.” 

“No need.” Yongsun bowed her head then fixed Byul with a glare, “Alpha!” She yelled towards Byul, who froze completely. “Here.” She ordered. 

Byul could feel her legs shake slightly as she descended the stairs. Every pair of eyes from every person in that room was stuck on Byul. She felt petrified. Coming here was a mistake. 

The alpha had never experienced obedience training before and never knew how to properly greet an omega let alone an omega princess. She bowed her head once she was within touching distance of Yongsun. 

“Who’s this?” The king asked, clearly unfamiliar with Byul despite meeting her once. 

Yongsun hesitated. “This is my alpha. I bought her discretely whilst I was away.”

“You? You bought an alpha?” The king clearly sounded surprised. “Is this alpha going to be providing the kingdom with future pups?” 

The princess spotted the panicked look on Byul’s face and had to force down a laugh at the alpha’s expense. “Maybe, father.” She winked. “But I’d much rather see what I’m getting from her rather than fully commit to having children with her.” 

The king laughed and patted the alpha’s back. “Very well. Go and rest now, Yongsun. There is much to do tomorrow and we need you fit and healthy.” 

Yongsun nodded, “Come, alpha.” She gripped Byul’s wrist tightly and lead her away from the king and his advisors. 

Byul allowed herself to be lead away by the princess until they reached her quarters. She took her hand back and rubbed the red marks on her wrist. She knew Yongsun was angry at her, but right now she’d happily take a beating from the omega if it meant that she could save Seulgi. 

Before they entered Yongsun’s room, a voice called out. 

“Yongsun!” The sight of her sister made Yongsun want to throw up. 

“Yonghee, a pleasure.” Yongsun bowed her head to her elder sister. 

The older omega bowed back slightly before her gaze landed on the awkward looking alpha standing beside her younger sister. 

“Who’s the alpha?” She asked skeptically. 

Once again, Yongsun hesitated. “This is my alpha. I bought her whilst I was away.”

“You bought an alpha?” The sheer look of distaste was evident on the older omega’s face. “I thought you hated alpha slavery.”

“She isn’t a slave.” Yongsun blurted out. 

“Uniform and a claimed symbol embedded over her scent glands. Yeah, doesn’t look like a slave to me.” Yonghee shrugged. 

The younger omega took a few seconds to even out her thoughts. “She isn’t a slave. That’s all you need to know.” 

“Whatever.” Yonghee waved a dismissive hand, “I wanted to know if you’re planning on going to next weeks Festival of Lights?”

“I had forgotten about that.” The younger omega mumbled. “Yes, of course.”

“Will your alpha be joining us?”

“What? Oh, yes. I suppose she has to.” 

Byul’s gaze stayed on the floor throughout their exchange. She had to play the part of a claimed and obedient alpha. Her feet still ache and she was dying to shift from foot to foot but couldn’t in the presence of Yonghee. 

“Right, well I suppose I shall make the necessary arrangements.” Yonghee turned and mumbled over her shoulder, “I have so much spare time these days, anyway.” 

Yongsun’s eyes were still fixed on the back of her sisters head as she felt herself being tugged by her wrist into her bedroom. Byul had gotten stronger and Yongsun couldn’t physically push the alpha away. 

“I need your help.” Byul said once she slammed the door. 

The princess nodded, “Of course. What’s wrong?”

“Seulgi is dying. I need medicine for her.” 

Yongsun gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. She formed a strong bond with both Seulgi and Yesol. She regarded them as family rather than the sisters of a friend. 

“What’s wrong with her?” The princess asked. 

“I’m not sure. She’s vomiting blood, she has a severe headache, her nose was bleeding and she’s disoriented.” Byul’s strong and dominating facade was crumbling as tears made their way down her cheeks. “Please help me, Yongsun. I can’t lose her.” 

The princess nodded her head. “I can’t take anything from the royal supplies otherwise they’ll want to know what it’s for.”

“All I need is for you to come with me to the market and purchase it for me.” 

“Why can’t you purchase it? Do you need more gold?” Yongsun reached inside her jewellery box but was stopped by the alpha. 

Byul shook her head, “No, princess. I have money.”

“Then, why do you need me?”

“Because alpha’s cannot purchase medicines without an adult omega present.” 

“What? Why?”

“I don’t know. Ask your father, they’re his laws.” 

Yongsun muttered under her breath, “I’ll have to change that.” 

Byul couldn’t quite make out what the omega was saying as her heartbeat was hammering away at her eardrums. She watched as Yongsun threw on a clever disguise and once again tugged at the alpha’s wrist to get them moving. 

The alpha directed them to the medical stall deep within the marketplace. Yongsun had never visited the market before and was in complete awe of how huge it was. She wondered if it was bigger than the palace grounds. 

Byul kept a vice like grip on Yongsun’s hand and kept having to tug her away from merchants that were trying to lure her in with shiny merchandise. The alpha tried to explain that most of their goods were worthless, but they still hypnotised the omega into wanting them. 

The medical stall was only a small one. The doctor was dressed head to toe in black with two guards on either side of him. Wheein was right about not stealing the medicine. She’s not sure if she’d have made it past the next stall before one of the brutish looking beta guards would have caught her. 

The doctor smiled at Yongsun and ignored Byul’s presence. Byul was used to being ignored in the marketplace. Normally when she brings her two sisters all the merchants flock to the omega’s leaving Byul with an easy chance to steal goods from their stalls. 

“How may I help you?” He asked and bowed his head slightly. 

“My sister,” Yongsun began softly, “she’s very sick. Vomiting blood, headaches, nose bleeds and very disorientated.”

“How old is she?” The doctor turned to his table and began rooting for ingredients. 

“She would have just turned eleven a few days ago.” 

Byul was surprised that Yongsun knew that. She doesn’t remember telling her. Seulgi must have told her and the princess remembered. Byul’s heart fluttered slightly at the thought. 

“Take this.” He held out a vile to the princess. “She must drink half now and then the rest after she’s had a full meal.” 

“Thank you, sir.” Yongsun bowed her head. “Alpha, pay the doctor.” She instructed. 

Byul nodded and handed over the amount that the doctor demanded. He seemed satisfied as he closed his fist around the coins and shoved them into his pocket. 

The two almost ran towards the poor district and down the secret tunnel. Byul waved a hand towards the hidden alpha’s that guarded the village and sprinted towards her house. Wheein and Yesol were still sat outside and playing a throwing game with a pine cone. 

Yesol squealed when she spotted her private tutor and ran towards her. Yongsun grabbed the young omega and tossed her into the air before grabbing her and hugging her close. 

“Seulgi is sick.” Yesol whined, “But if you read her a story, I bet she will be better.” 

Yongsun chuckled warmly, “I’ll read you both a story.”

The six year old grinned in excitement and Yongsun lowered her to the floor. Wheein smiled shyly at the older omega and held a hand out for Yesol to take. Yongsun knew Wheein trusted her deep down so she wasn’t offended by her lack of greeting. After waving a warm hand towards the alpha, the princess set off towards Byul’s home. 

She opened the sliding door just in time to see Seulgi sat up with her back against the wall, whilst drinking from something in Byul’s hand. Another alpha, one she hadn’t seen before, eyed her skeptically as she sat down next to Byul. 

Seulgi opened her eyes once the vile drink was consumed and her gaze landed on Yongsun straight away. 

“Solar!” She yelled as loudly as her sore throat would allow. 

Yongsun smiled at the little omega, “Hey. I heard you were sick so I came straight over!” 

The younger omega nodded her head and pointed towards Byul’s room, “I threw up on Byul’s bed mat and now she has to sleep on the floor.”

The alpha shrugged, “I’ve slept on worse.” She pulled the blankets up to cover more of her sisters shaking body. “How are you feeling?” 

Seulgi seemed to think about it before smiling widely, “I feel fine. Actually, I’m hungry.” She pouted. 

“I’ll bring some food in from Joohyun.” Heeyeon spoke up. Yongsun recognised her voice, but she couldn’t pin point where she had heard it before. 

“Have you come to read me a story?” Seulgi asked in an innocent way that melted the princess’ heart. 

Byul spoke before Yongsun had the chance, “I think I have to take her back to the palace soon.” She looked over to the older omega, “Solar has an important job and we mustn’t get in the way.” 

“I don’t mind staying.” Yongsun placed a hand on Byul’s shoulder, “Besides, it’s all boring palace stuff anyway. I’d much rather be here with you.” 

They stared into each other’s eyes for a few moments before Seulgi interrupted them. 

“Ew, are you two going to kiss?” She gagged. 

Byul turned a very bright shade of pink. Yongsun blushed ever so slightly and averted her gaze to Byul’s younger sister. 

“What is wrong with you?” The alpha stuttered out. 

Luckily Heeyeon came back with a bowl of stew and some bread. Seulgi was too busy stuffing her face to notice the strange tension between her sister and her teacher. As soon as the bowl was empty and the rest of the medicine was drank, it was bedtime for the two omega children. 

Seulgi fell asleep almost immediately whereas Yesol followed her to dreamland after two more stories from the princess. Closing the book softly, she placed it back on her stool and pushed the wooden piece of furniture back to the dark corner of the room it inhabits. 

She found Byul upstairs on her little balcony and joined her. The flowers that lit up at night were duller than the last time she had seen them. Winter had killed most of them off but as the seasons were changing spring was only around the corner to bring them back to life. 

The princess took a seat next to the alpha and visibly shivered. Byul noticed and wrapped her blanket around Yongsun’s shoulders. 

“Better?” She asked. 

Yongsun nodded. “Thank you.”

Byul smiled instead of replying and her gaze stretched across to the flowers. Yongsun felt the heat radiating off the alpha and moved as close as possible until their shoulders bumped. 

“Yongsun,” Byul turned to the princess, “Thank you. For everything you’ve done and everything you continue to do for us. I will never be able to repay what you’ve done but I will be forever grateful to you.” 

The princess smiled and rested her head on the alpha’s shoulder. “You’re welcome.”

The thief hesitated before asking her next question. “Yongsun, I need to ask something of you. This question could ruin everything but I have to ask. I understand if you say no, but I have a duty to my people that I must fulfil.”

The princess looked up into the serious eyes of the alpha and grabbed her hand softly under the blankets. “Go ahead.” She instructed. 

Byul took a huge breath. This was make or break for them. She had to ask in a way that wasn’t demanding. “I need an audience with your sister. It’ll be a ten minute chat at the most with just her and myself.”

“Why?”

“Yonghee will be queen when the king dies or steps down, right? So I would like to speak to her about the possible alliance of her and us.”

Yongsun shook her head, “I don’t understand.” 

“We want to be free, Yongsun. We don’t want to be slaves anymore. We want to be treated as equal human beings. With paid jobs, the ability to buy our own houses, run our own businesses, mate with whomever we want. We don’t want to be property anymore.” 

“And you think Yonghee would help you become free?”

Byul nodded. “Yes. I saw her body language when you said you bought me. Her distaste, her disgust and especially her anger that she tried to hide. She could help us.” 

“I can’t do that.” Yongsun hung her head slightly but kept her hand on Byul’s. 

“I understand.” The alpha could not hide the downfallen tone from the omega. “It’s too much of a risk. It could expose you as well as us. I’m sorry for asking.”

“It’s not that,” Yongsun sighed and lifted her head to meet the alpha’s gaze, “It’s just the fact that Yonghee isn’t going to be the queen.”

“Then who will?”

“Me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed :)
> 
> As always leave a kudos and comment if you liked it :)


	8. The Deal

_ “I can’t do that.” Yongsun hung her head slightly but kept her hand on Byul’s.  _

_ “I understand.” The alpha could not hide the downfallen tone from the omega. “It’s too much of a risk. It could expose you as well as us. I’m sorry for asking.” _

_ “It’s not that,” Yongsun sighed and lifted her head to meet the alpha’s gaze, “It’s just the fact that Yonghee isn’t going to be the queen.” _

_ “Then who will?” _

_ “Me.” _

“What... you... what?” Byul’s entire face scrunched up in confusion. Yongsun would have giggled at the expression the alpha wore if it wasn’t for the serious turn the conversation took. 

The princess nodded. “When the king dies or steps down, I will take his place as the ruling monarch over the kingdom.” 

The alpha shook her head and turned her entire body to face the omega. She made sure to keep her hand within Yongsun’s grasp, however. “But, I thought Yonghee was older than you.”

“She is.” Yongsun sighed and copied the sitting position of the alpha. Their knees knocked together and their clasped hands rested atop the omega’s leg. “My father, the king, doesn’t want her to become queen and Yonghee herself doesn’t want the responsibility of ruling the kingdom. So he made me the heir to the throne.”

“I see.” The alpha’s gaze fell slightly to their hands. She fought with a slight impulse to pull hers away. 

“Ask me.” Yongsun used her free hand to softly tug the alpha’s chin upwards so she could catch the gaze of the thief. 

Byul shook her head. “I can’t.”

“You can.” The princess tried to scoot impossibly closer to the alpha. She broke off their hand holding and instead, cradled both of the alpha’s cheeks. “Ask me what you wanted to ask my sister.” 

“Yongsun,” Byul sighed, “I can’t ask this of you. You’ve already done too much for us. Something like this could destroy your legacy, there’d be a constant target on your back and I cannot be the reason why your reign fails.” 

“But you’d ask this of my sister?”

“That’s different.”

“How so?”

Byul let out a breath of frustration. “Because, I... I care for you. I don’t want you to be hounded from the throne because of me and my people. You’re a wonderful person and you deserve the world. I don’t want you to agree to help free us from slavery and then regret it in years to come.”

The omega smiled. She lifted herself onto her knees and rested her forehead against Byul’s. “I would rather be the queen who was forced away from the throne trying to make a better life for my people than be another omega queen who sat by and did nothing. I’m not going to be queen of the omega’s, Byul. I’m going to be queen of the kingdom, which includes alpha’s and beta’s.”

The alpha’s eyes lingered on the omega’s lips as she spoke. Her mind concentrated on every word that came out of the princess’ mouth. After a few minutes of digesting the omega’s words, Byul nodded. 

“Ask me.” Yongsun whispered. 

“Yongsun, will you free us?”

“Yes.”

___________

The walk back to the palace was, as always, a quiet one. Both Byul and Yongsun were too exhausted to hold a conversation. The alpha was certain she was dead on her feet. The adrenaline boost she got when Heeyeon told her that Seulgi was dying was well and truly gone and replaced with a tiredness she had never felt before. 

Yongsun yawned and stretched her limbs. She just wanted a hot bath and to go to sleep for a few months, possibly several years if she could. The omega grabbed onto Byul’s arm in the darkness and held on tightly. 

“So,” The princess started, a mischievous expression on her face was hidden by the darkness but Byul could sense it through the tone of the omega’s voice, “About you being my alpha....”

The thief rolled her eyes at the omega. “I never agreed to be your alpha.”

“Breaking in to the palace using a stolen uniform and a drawing of the royal stamp on your neck took away your right to disagree.” 

Byul chuckled into the cool air, “I thought you were against owning an alpha.”

“I am.” Yongsun nodded. “But the whole palace will surely know by now that I supposedly have an alpha.”

“You didn’t need to tell them that I was your alpha.” Byul smirked. “I mean, yeah, I would be the ideal alpha. Amazing good looks, a physique to die for, a fantastic personality and a big-“

“Byul!” Yongsun almost screeched out. “In our society an ideal alpha is someone who’s silent, speaks only when spoken to, obediently knows their place and submits to their omega.” She counted the points off her fingers. “Unfortunately you don’t fit within that description.” 

The alpha scoffed, “That’s too boring for me.” They walked a few paces until Byul spoke again, “What’s your ideal alpha?”

Yongsun seemed to think about it before answering. “Well, amazing good looks, a physique to die for, a fantastic personality and a big... you know.” 

“I call it my Mini Moon.” Byul grinned. 

“Some friendly advice, Byul, never call a penis ‘mini’.” 

The alpha chose not to respond. Instead she assisted the princess over the ever unguarded wall and snuck silently behind bushes to avoid detection from the few palace guards wandering around. 

When they reached the princess’ wing, Byul got into position to allow the omega to climb onto her back. Yongsun rolled her eyes at the younger woman and pushed her out of the way before climbing the palace walls by herself. She slipped a few times as she manoeuvred up the wall, but she made it eventually without falling. Byul looked on from below in complete awe before shaking her head out of a daze and following the princess. 

Yongsun was already inside her room by the time Byul reached her. The princess sat on the edge of her bed and motioned for the alpha to sit next to her. 

Byul did as she was non-verbally asked. “What happens now?” She mumbled whilst looking down at her hands. 

“I don’t know.” The princess answered truthfully. “What I do know is, you’re going to have to stay here, in the palace, permanently.” 

“What?”

“Byul, they think you’re my alpha. You’re going to have to keep up that facade for a while. Possibly even for the rest of our lives.” Yongsun sighed. 

The alpha shook her head. “I don’t understand.”

“In the eyes of the palace, you belong here now. You don’t have to stay, I won’t force you to, you can leave at nightfall as long as you come back at dawn.” The princess gently clutched onto Byul’s hands and held them. “This is the one and only favour I will ask of you, Byul. My father wants to marry me off to some beta son of his closest friend. You can free me from a lifetime of misery and self loathing by agreeing to stay here with me and I can free you and every alpha in my kingdom from the shackles of slavery.” 

“What about my sisters and Wheein? I can’t leave them.”

“You’ll still see them. Like I said, I will not force you to sleep here and when I become queen they will come and live within the walls of the palace.” 

Byul whistled in appreciation, “Yesol would absolutely love living here. Seulgi would just sleep in your library every night.”

“And Wheein?” The princess chuckled. 

“I have a feeling Wheein would rather stay in a certain noble’s home than here in the palace.” Byul snorted. 

“What’s your answer?” The omega pressed on. “Will you pretend to be my alpha?”

The thief thought about her reply for a few seconds before grinning at Yongsun. “You’ve done me and my people so many favours, who am I to say no to something that you need from me?”

“Our people.” The princess corrected. 

“Yeah. Our people.” Byul laughed softly. “As long as you know that my sisters and Wheein come ahead of our agreement, then I have no quarrels against pretending to be your alpha.” 

“So it’s a deal? I’ll free the alpha’s and you’ll free me?”

“It’s a deal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas to all those celebrating and happy holidays. :)
> 
> Just a short chapter for today.


	9. The Past

문  
별  
이

Byul’s hand began cramping as she wrote her name over and over again on the parchment Yongsun had given her. Nearly every blank space was covered in ink. The princess told her to repeat her name until there was no available spaces left on the parchment and then throw it in to the fireplace opposite the omega’s bed. 

“Repetition is key to memorising something.”The voice of the princess bounced through her mind. 

문  
별  
이

“Once you’ve filled the parchment, throw it into the fire and start again. This time using only your memory with absolutely no help from me.” She gave the alpha an encouraging squeeze of her shoulders before disappearing from her chambers. 

She had been gone nearly two hours. Byul flexed her cramping hand and glanced briefly at the door. Picking the quill back up, she wrote her name once more. 

문  
별  
이

The alpha sighed to herself. It was pointless her being here. She was confined to Yongsun’s room most of the time with a guard stationed outside of the door. No one would notice her disappearing for a few hours throughout the day. Byul wasn’t sure if the guard was there to protect her or make sure she wouldn’t attempt to escape. 

Byul wouldn’t try to escape. She already gave her word on that. Maybe the king has actually noticed how many alpha servants have gone missing and has finally decided to step up the protection of his property. 

문  
별  
이

Escaping was the last thing on the alpha’s mind anyway. Not only did Yongsun allow her the freedom to do as she pleased and talk as freely as possible, Byul was really enjoying the princess’ company. 

She still took off from the omega’s balcony at nightfall and returned at dawn. She missed her sisters and Wheein terribly. The other alpha’s at the camp knew Byul was up to something and cheered her return every night like she was a hero coming back from war. 

문  
별  
이

In Byul’s absence Wheein gained the confidence to sneak into the kingdom and head straight to Hyejin’s home. Joohyun took on babysitting duties in the two hours it took for Wheein to go there, collect Hyejin and come back. The omega was always greeted with a smile and a bow from nearly every alpha in the village. 

Things were looking up. All Byul needed to do was to sit and wait for Yongsun to finish her end of their deal. Whenever that may be. 

Before Byul got the chance to write her name again, the door to the princess’ room opened and closed loudly. A young handmaiden, no younger than Byul herself, entered. Her arms were so full of silk sheets that she could not see where she was going. Her foot caught the leg of a table and she stumbled forward. Byul caught her just in time but the sheets fell to the floor. 

“Forgive me.” The girl bowed her head and squeezed her eyes shut. 

The alpha chuckled. “It’s okay.” She let go of the girl and bent down to pick up the sheets before tossing them haphazardly onto the princess’ bed. 

The girl shrieked, “No! They’re expensive silk sheets! You can’t throw them like that!” 

Without as much as a glance in the alpha’s direction, the girl, who as far as Byul could tell was an omega, jumped to the bed and began carefully folding the sheets one by one. Byul eyed her for a few seconds before shaking her head and sitting back down at the desk and continued writing. 

문  
별  
이

“Moon Byul Yi?” The girl poked her head over the alpha’s shoulder. “So you do have a name?” 

The alpha scoffed and continued repeating her name over and over on the parchment. “Why wouldn’t I have a name?” 

The omega shrugged. “The princess doesn’t talk about you much. So we just assumed that she hasn’t named you yet.” 

“What’s your name?” Byul asked whilst trying to reign in her annoyance. 

“Park Sooyoung.” The omega announced proudly. 

Byul put her quill down and turned to face the handmaiden. “The princess get to name you too?” 

Sooyoung shook her head, “No. She could if she wanted to, but she said she likes my name.”

The alpha hummed in response and began writing her name again. 

문  
별  
이

Sooyoung took the hint and walked back over to the princess’ bed. She began stripping the sheets and tossing them aside to be washed later before trying to put the new and fresh sheets onto the bed. 

All the alpha could hear was grunting and groaning coming from the bed. After spelling her name wrong four times she finally threw down her quill and got up. She turned just in time to see Sooyoung fall face first onto the bed whilst struggling with the princess’ bed sheets. 

Rolling her eyes at both the omega and the overbearing amount of sheets she has brought, Byul made her way to the omega and helped release her from her sheet hell. Unfortunately the alpha wasn’t aware of how strong the handmaiden was and felt herself being pulled on top of the omega when Sooyoung tried to pull the sheets from around her chest. 

They knocked their foreheads together and they both groaned in pain. Byul, already dizzy from inhaling ink for the past two hours closed her eyes in an attempt to shut out the pain. Sooyoung was quicker to recover and placed her hands on the alpha’s shoulders ready to push her off and yell at her. 

Something stopped her. 

“You haven’t been marked.” Sooyoung whispered. 

Byul’s eyes widened and her headache deepened as she all but jumped off the omega. Her brain short circuited and she stood there looking like a fish out of water as she tried to find something intelligent to say. 

When nothing came, Sooyoung came closer to the alpha. “Does that mean the princess doesn’t want you?” She whispered more to herself than the thief in front of her. “Your scent...” she trailed off and giggled in embarrassment, “It’s wonderful.” 

“Thanks.” Byul tried to back away from the omega but found herself trapped between Sooyoung and a wall. 

The omega was frighteningly too close to Byul. She considered tackling the woman to the ground and making a run for it. As soon as the thought made its way into her head, it was gone. Byul was certain that the omega would gladly be tackled to the ground by an alpha. 

“You are so handsome.” Sooyoung whispered, “And your scent is so inviting.”

Byul’s eyes widened in panic as she looked around the room for a way out just as Sooyoung leaned in. 

“Princess!” Byul spluttered from over Sooyoung’s shoulder. 

The omega gasped and quickly span around to find no one stood by the door. Confused, she turned back to Byul just in time to see the alpha run towards the balcony and leap off. Sooyoung held a shocked hand over her mouth and was frozen. It took her a few seconds to regain the feeling in her legs but when she did she sprinted to the balcony and leaned over the edge expecting to see a broken alpha on the floor, twitching her broken limbs and moaning in pain. 

Instead she saw the back of said alpha running as fast as she could towards the main entrance of the palace. 

“How unusual.” Sooyoung commented. She giggled loudly at the alpha and held a hand over her mouth. Never before has she seen any alpha react like that. Not to her nor any omega. Sooyoung made a mental note to keep a watchful eye on the princess’ alpha. Something about her didn’t sit right with the handmaiden. 

____________

To say Yongsun was bored would have been a huge understatement. Accompanying the king during his duties was, in her mind, supposed to be enjoyable. Instead it’s been terribly boring. 

As she possessed basically no power, she was relegated to the seat beside the king and told to take notes on how to handle things rather than being allowed to take over and deal with matters herself. 

One thing she has noticed about her father is the fact that he’s a terrible king. For the rich and powerful noble families, he’s fantastic. The rich keep getting richer. For the poor or more middle class of families, he’s a disgrace. The gap between the rich and the poor was growing substantially. It seemed as those those who managed to drag themselves from the poor districts and was allowed an audience with the king to discuss their woes over food and clean water, went in one of the kings ears and out of the other. 

Yongsun made a mental note to ensure the poorer districts gain access to clean water and plenty of food when she ascends to the throne. 

“The final task up for discussion is The Festival Of Lights.” An old beta man with a greying beard announced. 

The princess sat up straight. She was looking forward to the festival after missing the last four years due to being in Japan. It seemed like she was not the only one who’s interest was piqued by the mere mention of the festival. Every noble in the kings court stood to attention. 

“Is everything ready for it?” The king asked. 

A middle aged omega woman nodded and held out an itinerary for the king to take. He gracefully took it and read it over. He seemed slightly displeased at the order of entertainment. 

“What about the fighting?” He narrowed his eyes at the omega woman. “We agreed, did we not?” 

The nobles murmured amongst themselves for a few seconds. Not one dared to address the king. Instead, Yongsun piped up. 

“What fighting?” She whispered across to her father. 

The king turned to her and spoke loudly enough for his court to hear. “We decided last year that our entertainment during the festival is getting rather lacklustre. So we decided to vamp it up and add our very own animal fights to proceedings.”

Yongsun’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “You make animals fight one another?” 

“Sort of.” The king scratched his chin. “We make alpha’s fight the animals and see who comes out victorious. A beta from a western country gave us the idea.” 

“That’s barbaric.” The princess gasped. 

“Yes.” The king eyed his daughter for a few seconds before continuing, “You are not the only one who’s said that. It was popular last year, was it not?” He asked his court. “We put bets on who would win and it generated more money for the festival.” 

Yongsun felt too shocked to speak. She knew how much her father despised alpha’s but she never would have thought he’d be capable of such cruelty. The omega’s that fought for freedom against barbarian alpha’s centuries ago would be turning over in their graves if they knew what their kingdom was turning into. 

The princess was suddenly not looking forward to the festival at all. She had hoped to properly introduce Byul to all the sights and sounds that accompanied The Festival Of Lights. Now she hopes that some higher power could intervene and cancel the whole thing. 

____________

Byul was hidden behind a large tree within the princess’ shared garden. Her shoulder stung badly from the fall from the balcony but she paid it no mind. Instead she was glad to be away from the omega that tried to make a move on her. 

She was not familiar with omega’s, nor was she familiar with the sexual desire that came with one. The closest she’s ever gotten to having sex with an omega was when she was seventeen and broke into a noble woman’s home only to find the occupant a withering and moaning mess on top of her bedsheets. The scent of the omega’s heat was almost enough to lure Byul in. For a split second she wanted nothing more in the world than to rut into this stranger, but she caught herself just in time and bolted as far away from the house as she possibly could. 

Sooyoung frightened her. The handmaiden wouldn’t have actually gone through with seducing her, would she? 

No. Byul shook her head. The omega servant was loyal to Yongsun. She wouldn’t attempt to seal the princess’ alpha away regardless to whether she was claimed or not. 

Byul sighed and let her head rest on the tree behind her. The air was still cold but not as bad as it was a few weeks ago. The sun was warm enough that the alpha wasn’t uncomfortably cold. A few flowers began sprouting in the grass a few yards in front of her and she smiled at it. Spring was one of her favourite seasons. It signified life, beauty and hope. She used to sit with her sisters and Wheein in meadows during the spring and just gaze around them. 

“Strange that I’d catch you out here.” The delightful voice of Yongsun wafted into her ears. 

Byul looked up in time to catch the princess taking a seat next to the alpha. Her handmaiden, Sooyoung, stood behind her and refused to make eye contact with the alpha. Instead, the omega servant walked away with the promise of bringing them some tea. 

“Blame her.” Byul pointed at the retreating back of Sooyoung. 

The omega followed Byul’s finger and chuckled. “Why? What did she do?” 

“I think she tried to seduce me.” The alpha shrugged. 

Jealously sparked within Yongsun and she stood up abruptly. Byul grabbed onto the princess’ hand and yanked her back down. The alpha sighed at the princess. 

“You can’t really blame her.” Byul shrugged. “I haven’t been marked and I’m ridiculously attractive. These lonely omega’s are like bees around honey when I enter the room.”

“Then I’ll mark you.” Yongsun quickly climbed into Byul’s lap and forced the alpha’s head to the side. “Stay still.” 

“No!” Byul yelled and squirmed strongly enough to unsettle the omega on top of her. The alpha sank low enough that she was now lying on the floor by the tree instead of just resting her back against it. She held her head in her arms and cradled it. 

Yongsun looked down in amusement. The movement of the alpha caused Yongsun to be sat on Byul’s abdomen rather than her lap. The sound of rustling porcelain made the princess look up at her returning handmaiden. The look of displeasure and sadness was etched upon the servants face. 

“You can go now.” Yongsun said once Sooyoung placed the platter of tea on the freshly cut grass. The handmaiden nodded and with one last longing look at Byul, she turned on her heel and departed. “She’s gone.” 

Byul peeped out from under her arms but made no movement to release the hold she had on her head. The alpha felt herself blush furiously at the position she found herself in. Yongsun, wearing a loose white and gold hanbok, was sat on her stomach with her legs either side of the alpha, sipping tea as though nothing peculiar was going on. 

“Princess?” Byul squeaked. 

“Yes?”

“Can you get off of me?”

The omega squealed in embarrassment as though shes only just realised what position she was currently engaging in with the thief. She quickly hopped off the alpha and sat down to Byul’s left instead. The alpha returned to her previous position of leaning against the tree and gazing out towards the newly sprouting flowers. 

“I love being in my garden in the spring.” Yongsun sighed heavenly. “You can see everything come to life after being dormant for so long during the winter months.”

Byul smiled. “I love spring. My sisters and I always watched the flowers grow. They used to sit as closely to me as possible so they wouldn’t get cold and just gaze out towards the budding flowers.” 

“Wheein too?” Yongsun asked. 

“When Wheein joined us, Seulgi had this obsession about her. Mainly because of how pretty she was and how scared she was of the world. Seulgi took her under her wing and was the first person to calm her down whenever she would have a breakdown or a nightmare.” Byul felt the princess scooting closer to her as the clouds started to cover the sun and the cold wind began picking up. “So whenever we would sit and watch the flowers, Seulgi always sat with Wheein and I always had Yesol in my arms.” 

The princess visibly shivered. Byul chuckled inwardly and took off the jacket she was wearing so she could drape it over the princess’ shoulders. 

“What about your parents?” Yongsun asked. “Did they ever watch the flowers grow with you?”

Byul shook her head. “No. They were always too busy.”

“I’ve never actually heard you talk about them besides what you told me the day you tried and failed to steal from me.” 

The alpha gazed upwards to the cloudy sky and heaved a heavy sigh. Talking about her parents was never a good thing. Seulgi and Yesol often asked questions and they were always met with a shrug of the shoulders and a subject change. 

“There isn’t much to tell. My mother died in childbirth and my father died whilst trying to get medicine for her. I was left with a new born Yesol and a four year old Seulgi.” The princess entwined their fingers together. “You know what’s the only consolation I can take away from my parents dying? They were never given the chance to sell me into slavery.” 

“Would they have sold you?”

Byul nodded. “Yes. I knew my fate when I was thirteen. Mother was heavily pregnant with Yesol and I started presenting early. My father sent word off to a slave owner to come and ‘inspect’ me.” The alpha scoffed. “A beta man came into our home and tested me on obedience, discipline and the ability to submit. I failed at all the tasks he gave me. He got angry with me, knocked me to the floor and told me to stay down so obviously I got back up and spat in his face instead.” 

Yongsun laughed and covered her mouth with her hand to try and stifle the noise coming from her. “I can actually picture a thirteen year old you doing exactly that.” 

“Yeah, I felt so proud of myself but in hindsight I know I fucked myself over.”

“How so?” 

Byul took in a shaky breath. “He made me strip in front of my sister and mother. When I refused, he hit me. My mother pleaded with me to do as he said so I did. He spent nearly twenty minutes just touching me. I was thirteen and scared. After he was done he told my mother that if I could be forced to submit, I’d be sold off to either the richest nobles in the kingdom or the crown itself.”

“Byul...”

“I cried every day knowing that my life was basically over. Knowing that my life was not mine anymore, but some omega overlord’s that was going to force me to do things I didn’t want to do.” Byul felt the salty sting of her tears break free from her eyes and leak down her cheeks. “And then my mother was sick, so incredibly sick. My father had to go out to find medicines for her when she went into labor and he never came back. With the help of a beta woman from across the road, Yesol was born and healthy but my mother died mere seconds later.”

The princess was at a loss for words. Nothing she could say right now could change anything for the alpha sat next to her, so instead she kept quiet and held onto Byul’s warm hand. 

“I was skeptical about starting a revolution and changing the law on slavery at first.” The alpha cleared her throat in an attempt to strengthen her broken voice. “But then I think back to that day and I can remember every tear I shed, every feeling that hit me and that mans cold hands touching me in places no one should be allowed to touch without my consent and I know that the law on alpha slavery needs to be abolished.”

Yongsun nodded, “I will abolish that law, I promise.” 

“I know you will.” Byul turned slightly to face the omega and was shocked to see a trail of tears coming from the princess’ eyes and down her cheeks. “Why are you crying?”

The princess chocked back a sob. “You’ve gone through so much in your life and you’re still a strong willed alpha. You don’t hold resentment to me as a royal omega and you hold yourself with so much dignity that one would assume that you are a god reincarnated as a human.” 

“Why would I resent you? You’ve shown me and my family nothing but kindness and love. Seulgi reads nighttime stories to Yesol thanks to you. Wheein has gained her confidence back thanks to you bringing your friend to us. And thanks to you I have I actually have hope for the future instead of just worrying about where our next meal is coming from or whether I’ll be abducted and sent to an alpha training facility.” Byul used her free hand to wipe away the tears that littered the princess’ face. 

Yongsun leaned into the alpha’s touch and closed her eyes as she exhaled loudly. Byul’s thumb traced lightly across the omega’s lips and the action caused the princess to shiver again, but this time not from the cold. 

“Thank you.” Byul whispered into the cool spring air. 

The princess opened her eyes. The sight that greeted her made her heart do flips inside her chest. Byul had her eyes trained on the omega’s lips and she subconsciously ran her tongue along her own lips. The omega’s gaze followed the alpha’s actions with a rapt attention before she leaned in slowly. Byul found herself mirroring the omega and dipped her head slightly. 

A voice from behind them startled them. They broke apart dramatically and the princess jumped to her feet. 

“Yongsun!” The older princess’ voice cut through the tense atmosphere the omega and alpha created. 

Yongsun’s eyes wildly searched for her sister before spotting her a few yards away. Yonghee was completely wrapped up in expensive wool blankets and even Yongsun had to roll her eyes at her sisters dramatics. It wasn’t that cold, but then again she has been sat next to a warm alpha. Maybe she couldn’t feel the chill. 

Byul stayed sat where she was before. Yongsun expected her to stand behind her and bow her head like any obediently trained alpha would. She noticed the strange look her sister shot the alpha and stood in between them. 

“Hello, Yonghee.” The younger omega bowed lowly to her sister. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” 

“I saw you outside with your.... alpha.” Yonghee hesitated slightly at the mention of Byul. “And I wanted to know if you both will join my husband and I for dinner rather than sitting with our father.” 

Yongsun nodded her head. “Of course.” She held out a hand for Byul to take. “We’ll get changed and meet you in our dining hall.”

The elder of the two siblings grinned and clapped her hands together before turning on her heel and skipping back to the princess’ wing of the palace. Unbeknownst to her, she left two slightly frustrated women behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kudos’ and comments. I read every single one of them :)


	10. The Dinner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There’s a TW within this chapter. Mentions of suicide. It’s only mentioned once.

Yongsun ran around her rather large bedroom trying to find a suitable outfit for Byul to wear. This was to be her first meal in a royal setting rather than their usual meal together in her chambers. Yongsun had less than two hours to clothe the alpha and teach her proper table manners. 

The woman in question flopped rather ungracefully atop the princess’ bed and placed one arm behind her head while the other lay lazily on her stomach. Byul looked on in amusement as the omega mumbled to herself quietly as she threw various items of clothing over her shoulder and onto the floor. 

“What are you doing?” Byul finally asked causing the princess to stand abruptly as she held out a pair of long trousers. 

“I’m trying to find you something decent to wear.” Yongsun scoffed. 

Byul looked down at herself and scrunched her eyebrows up in confusion. She thought she looked nice, Sooyoung definitely thought she looked nice, so why didn’t the princess?

“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” The alpha asked dumbly. 

Yongsun let out a loud laugh before stopping herself at the sight of the confused alpha. “Oh, you’re seriously asking me that?” After getting a nod from Byul, she continued. “Well, those are daywear. I’m finding you evening wear.” 

“Evening wear? I actually have to change my clothes halfway through the day just for a meal?”

The princess nodded and held out a few different articles of clothing. “Yes. In fact, if you lived here permanently then you’d have to change your clothes at least three times a day.” The alpha sat up just as Yongsun neatly laid out the outfit. “You’d wake up in your bed wear, change into your daywear, then change again into your evening wear and then change one last time back into your bed wear.” 

“Wow.” Byul looked over at the expensive looking fabric and fingered the exquisite stitching. “Back before we created the village, I was lucky if I got to change my clothes once a month.” 

“Seriously?” 

The alpha nodded. “Yes, and that was only because I outgrew the clothes I had previously. I spent all the money I was able to steal on food and clothing for my sisters. I didn’t have much left over for myself so I saved up a few silver pieces here and there and promised myself to only spend it when I was desperate.” 

“You really are a wonderfully selfless alpha.” Yongsun smiled lovingly towards the thief, who in turn blushed a light shade of scarlet. “Here, try those on. They may not properly fit as they’re only sample sizes the royal tailors sent over when they were informed of you. I told them that you’re roughly the same height and size as I am, so hopefully they fit nicely.” 

Byul nodded and held up the trousers Yongsun had laid out for her. They seemed a lot tighter than the ones she was currently wearing. She gathered the clothes in her arms and looked around for a safe spot to change, one where there won’t be any prying eyes and no discreetly tucked away handmaidens. 

The princess watched in amusement as the alpha span around trying to find somewhere to change. She slowly made her way over to where Byul was standing and took the clothes from her. 

“I’ll help you change.” She smiled warmly. 

The alpha’s eyes turned as wide as saucers and Yongsun had to stifle a giggle at the younger woman’s expression. 

“It’ll be quicker if I help.” Yongsun placed the clothes neatly back on the bed. “Plus, Sooyoung is due back here to help me change any minute now. Do you really want her to see you half naked and struggling to put on this ridiculously puffy shirt?” 

Byul relented and suspiciously eyed the overjoyed expression that graced the omega’s face. Yongsun clapped her hands together excitedly and ordered the alpha to take off her daywear. Byul hesitated. Memories of her past flooded her mind but before she could sink any further into her past, Yongsun caught her. 

“I’ll close my eyes, if you want?” 

“Yes please.” Byul squeaked out. 

The princess saw how the thief tried to hide her shaking hands by clasping them together behind her back. In an attempt to ground the alpha, Yongsun placed her right hand on Byul’s left cheek and leaned in to kiss her right cheek. She lingered for a few seconds before whispering a few words of comfort for the alpha. 

“I won’t hurt you.” 

Byul came back to reality as though she was carried back in the loving arms of the sun’s hot embrace. She was no longer a thirteen year old in the middle of her rundown family home in the poor district. Yongsun brought her back and grounded her. 

True to her word, the princess closed her eyes tightly as Byul quickly ripped off her clothes and tossed them around the room. She kept her undershorts on and the piece of material she used to bind her chest. Pulling on the tight trousers Yongsun picked out for her, she struggled to pull them up past her thighs. She hopped, skipped and jumped trying to pull them up, but to no avail. All the running she’s been doing for the past few years had given her ridiculously muscled legs and if she tried to pull them up any higher, they’d surely rip. 

Tapping the princess on the shoulder, Byul tried to cover herself up with the matching jacket to the pants as Yongsun opened her eyes. The princess glanced between the trousers that were stuck around the alpha’s thighs and the embarrassed looking expression on her face. 

“Too tight?” She asked to which Byul nodded. Yongsun hummed slightly before heading towards the door of her bedroom and sliding it open. 

The alpha could hear her call for her handmaiden and she panicked slightly. She tried to run and hide behind the folding screen that was tucked away in the furthest corner of the room but the trousers constricted her movement and sent her sprawling to the ground. 

She could hear Yongsun giggling uncontrollably at her rather ungraceful landing and groaned in embarrassment. 

“Don’t worry.” Yongsun said as she tried to suppress the laughter that wracked through her body. “She’s not coming in.”

Although she felt ridiculously embarrassed and slightly humiliated, Byul’s heart sang in tune with Yongsun’s laughter. Her traitorous mind made a mental note to do everything within her power to hear that sound again. 

Yongsun helped the alpha to her feet and pushed her into a sitting position on the princess’ bed. She closed her eyes as promised and yanked the trousers down and off of Byul’s legs. Keeping her eyes as tightly closed as she possibly could, the omega stood up and used her hands to guide herself away from the alpha. 

Byul, however, kept her eyes trained on her hands. There was a clear spike in pheromones in the room when Yongsun kneeled on the floor to take off the alpha’s trousers. Luckily her crotch did not betray her like last time and within a few seconds, the room was clear and back to its original smell of Jasmine and Yongsun’s natural scent. 

A knock at the door startled the alpha into a standing position. She covered herself with her hands this time causing Yongsun to chuckle warmly at her. The omega slid the door open to reveal Sooyoung knelt on the ground and holding up a few pairs of trousers. 

“My fathers.” Yongsun said. “They should fit a lot better.” 

Byul didn’t hide the look of distaste that was etched onto her face at the mention of the king, nor did she hide her disgust at having to wear his clothes. But for the sake of Yongsun, she took in a huge breath and accepted the clothes. 

“I really should bring in a tailor to properly measure you-“

“No!” Byul yelled. 

The princess looked completely shocked and perplexed at the outburst from the alpha. She took a slow step towards Byul and laid a hand on the thief’s shoulder. 

“What?” She asked as quietly and soothingly as she possibly could. 

Byul looked as equally shocked as Yongsun by her lack of composure. She stuttered a few incoherent words before stopping herself and taking in a deep breath. 

“I’m sorry.” She mumbled quickly. “I don’t want to see a tailor or anyone that has to touch me.”

“Why?”

Inhaling and exhaling a shaky breath, Byul replied, “I don’t like people touching me.”

“But, I’m touching you right now.” Yongsun motioned to the bare hand on an equally bare shoulder. 

“That’s different.”

“How so?”

Byul finally made eye contact with the concerned omega in front of her. Yongsun’s hand went from the alpha’s shoulder to rubbing the back of Byul’s neck before finally cupping the thief’s cheek. 

“I know you won’t hurt me.” The alpha whispered so quietly that Yongsun had to strain herself to hear her. “I trust you. You’re safe.” 

Another spark, not unlike the one they shared under the tree in the princess’ shared garden, flashed through them both. They gazed at one another in a comfortable silence. Neither alpha nor omega wanted to break the delicate moment between them by speaking. 

Sooyoung was the one to break the silence. She forcibly knocked on the door and asked the princess whether or not she was ready for her. 

“Ten more minutes, Sooyoung!” Yongsun said through a shaky and rather weakened voice. “Let’s get you ready.” She smiled back at the alpha in front of her and proceeded to close her eyes and help blindly dress the thief. 

Yongsun was rather pleased with the end result of dressing Byul up. The theme around the palace this year was more on the French side of the fashion spectrum as the king was mildly obsessed with the western country. As a result of this, Byul was dressed like a French noble. Her frilly dress shirt was covered by an undeniably smart blue waistcoat and drowned in a jacket that was short in the front but very long in the back. She wore white leggings underneath blue trouser shorts and rounded off with black leather shoes. 

Byul thought she looked silly. Yongsun thought she looked handsome. 

The princess wore a rather elegant blue dress that matched Byul’s outfit perfectly. Sooyoung had the misfortune of having to dress the princess. There was so much lace and so many buttons attached to one dress, Byul wondered how on Earth one she’d be able to take it off. In fact, she’d happily pay a couple of gold coins just to sit there and watch Yongsun attempt to take it off on her own. To Byul, clothes should be easy. Easy to put on and easy to take off. If you cannot put something on by yourself and take it off by yourself, it wasn’t worth wearing. 

She couldn’t deny how beautiful the princess looked in the ridiculously complicated dress, however. The toothy grin she shot the alpha through the mirror was one that Byul hoped she could remember for the rest of her hopefully long life. 

Sooyoung excused herself once the princess was dressed. Not wanting to ruin the atmosphere between the omega and her alpha, she bid them goodbye and got nothing in return. Both the princess and the thief were lovingly admiring one another through the sparking clean reflective glass of Yongsun’s full length mirror. 

After a while Yongsun returned to her senses and cleared her throat. She indicated for the alpha to sit on the floor by the desk and sat down next to her. 

“You need a little training course.” Yongsun started. “Dinner etiquette rules and such.” 

On the corner of the desk lay a few unused quills and Yongsun snatched them up and shoved them into Byul’s hands. 

“Show me how you eat.” She instructed. 

Byul did as she was told. The judgmental look on Yongsun’s face told her that she did not approve of the alpha’s way of stuffing things in to her mouth as though someone was going to take it away from her. Sighing, the princess took back the quills. 

“Like this.” Yongsun held the quills like chopsticks and mimed herself eating slowly and carefully. “You don’t want to shove everything in, it could cause you to have a painfully sore stomach afterwards. You’d want to take things in bit by bit as slowly as possible.” 

The alpha nodded and took back the quills before copying what Yongsun did. 

“Good.” The omega praised. “Now, as you’re an alpha you’ll have to abide by very strict table manners. No talking unless spoken to, which is probably a good thing if Yonghee’s husband is going to be there. Eat only after all three of us have began to. Do not make eye contact with my sister or her husband, trust me it’s not worth it. If I leave the room for any reason whatsoever, follow me. That last one isn’t a rule, but it’s something I want you to do.”

“Why?”

Yongsun sighed. “I don’t like her husband and I think he may try to attack you with his words if you’re left alone with him. He comes from a land where alpha’s are the ruling class and beta’s are treated like the runts of the litter.” 

At that Byul nodded in understanding and stood up. Holding a hand out for the princess to grab, she yanked the smaller woman up onto her feet. They made their way to the door and just before Yongsun opened it, she turned to Byul. 

“Come here.” She ordered to which Byul obliged. 

After the incident with Sooyoung a few hours ago, Yongsun did not want to run the risk of other omega’s or beta’s within the palace questioning the princess’ intentions with Byul. She throughly scent marked the alpha in front of her for a minute or two and leaned back to admire her work. 

Byul’s eyes were closed as she inhaled the sweet aroma that was now rubbed onto her skin. It smelled as sweetly on her own neck as it did on the princess’. It really was such a glorious and invigorating scent that Byul wondered for a brief moment whether it was possible to taste it as well as smell it. 

“There,” Yongsun whispered sweetly, “Now everyone will know that you’re mine.” 

Yongsun did not miss the way the alpha’s eyes glazed over when she scented her, nor did she miss the way Byul’s hungry nostrils were quick to breathe her scent in. She did not mention it, she did not need to. She needed no more confirmations from the alpha. 

“Can I scent mark you?” Byul asked in a small and embarrassed voice. 

The princess giggled softly. “That’s highly unusual.”

The alpha winked. “I’m a highly unusual person.” 

Her natural omega senses were screaming at her to refuse the alpha. Alpha’s do not scent mark omega’s, especially not royal omega’s. But her heart begged her to say yes. She’s only ever been given glimpses into Byul’s scent before and to have it fully given to her to comfort her through what she knew was going to be an uncomfortable meal was what willed her to say yes. 

Byul’s eyes lit up brighter than the sun on an early July morning. She mirrored the princess’ actions of a few minutes ago and allowed herself to fully scent the wonderful omega in her arms. 

Yongsun’s eyes were closed the whole time and she allowed her senses to run wild within her head. The omega voice inside her mind that was screaming at her not to allow the alpha to scent her was now being lost amongst the smell of the alpha. 

Whereas Yongsun smelled quite sweet and like bloomed flowers, Byul smelled like the forest and freshly cut grass. Two people of considerably different backgrounds but their scents moulded together perfectly. As though they were meant to be put together and joined as one. 

They broke apart and grinned goofily at one another before another loud knock came at the door. 

Sooyoung was once again kneeling on the floor and waiting for Yongsun to open up. She was sent by Yonghee to collect the younger princess and her alpha as they were late. 

Yongsun stepped out of her room with as much grace and elegance as one would expect from a royal. Byul stayed a step behind her with her head bowed. Servants and guards alike could smell the scent of an omega on Byul as she wafted past. Imagine their shock at smelling the scent of the alpha on the princess as well. 

Whispers whirled around them but one glare from Yongsun and they ceased. Byul tried so hard to conceal a smug smirk. Out in the open world, Byul had to endure the constant whispers and comments from omega’s and beta’s, but here under the protection of the princess’ warm embrace the whispers were shut down quicker than an arrow sailing through the air on a clear day. 

The princess’ dining hall was as large as one would have expected. Four guards were stationed on either side of the length of the room whilst nearly a dozen servants waited hand and foot on only four people. 

Yonghee stood to attention when Yongsun appeared with her alpha behind her. Her husband, Sungyeung, stayed where he was sat and only nodded to the princess. 

Yongsun knew this meal was an idea of Yonghee and not that of her husband. He looked as bored as possible and wanted nothing more than for this to be over. Byul caught look of contempt on his face and had to reign in her own anger at his audacity. 

“I do apologise, Yongsun.” He smiled falsely at the younger princess. “I hurt my leg a few hours ago, you see and cannot stand up properly.” 

“It’s quite alright.” Yongsun waved a hand at her brother in law. Just as a beta servant was about to pull out her chair for her to sit on, Byul beat her to it. As Yongsun began to sit down gracefully upon the wooden cushioned seat, she brushed the back of her hand lightly over the alpha’s cheek. 

Byul blushed slightly and took the slightly smaller and less extravagant seat next to Yongsun. The seat was designed for an alpha alone to use. It was elevated lower than that of an omega or beta’s seat to indicate ones standing within society. 

Looking at the chair with obvious distaste, Yongsun ordered the servants to swap the seat with a similar one to the one the rest of them were sat on. The command was met with a few rather confused faces but the servants did as they were told and Byul was back to her respectable height next to Yongsun. 

Her sister and brother in law exchanged a few strange looks between them. Yongsun raised her head as though she was above them and everyone else in the room as she spoke. 

“That chair made my alpha look silly.” She raised a eyebrow as if to dare her sister or her husband to question her. 

The older princess cleared her throat and engaged her sister in slight small talk. Sungyeung just sat by guzzling down the wine offered to him by a servant and brooding slightly. Byul stared at her hands and tried to wipe away the few ink blotches that remained from writing her name over and over. 

The starter course was served and eaten rather quickly. Too quickly for any of them to properly chat amongst themselves. Yongsun could feel her head swimming with the strong wine she all but inhaled during it. Byul couldn’t help but smirk as the main course made its appearance on the table. Yongsun was waving at her sister asking her if her face was turning red. If she wasn’t in such a tense environment, she would have let out a huge roar of laughter at the younger omega. 

Sungyeung, who’s face still resembled a smacked ass, was the drunkest among them. He flailed his arms around as he talked about how amazing he was at political talks with other kingdoms, he yelled out for more wine and soju and he ate like a pig. 

‘And Yongsun was worried about how I eat.’ Byul scoffed inside her head. As though she could read the alpha’s mind, Yongsun turned to her and they shared a look of bewilderment and slight amusement. 

“So.” Sungyeung slurred. “This is the first time we’ve been able to see you since your good news.”

His bitterness did not go unnoticed by all those at the table. 

Taking the initiative to change the subject, Yongsun grinned and turned to Byul. “Yes, I do think I’ve found my soulmate.”

The word ‘soulmate’ made Byul want to swoon, cry and vomit all at the same time. Swoon because of the undeniable attraction she feels towards the omega, cry because it’s not real and vomit because it might be. 

“Not that... thing.” He pointed a boney finger at Byul. “I meant the fact that you are to become the queen despite the fact that you are indeed the youngest of your fathers children.” 

“He only has two.” Yongsun smiled. “It’s not as though I barged my way past twenty others and begged to be the queen.” 

Sungyeung scoffed and raised his empty glass to his lips. Upon realising there was no more wine in his cup, he yelled at a shaking omega girl to fill it quickly. 

“This is awkward.” Byul whispered as quietly as she could across to Yongsun. Not quietly enough, it would seem. 

“What did you say, alpha?” The words were spat from his mouth as though they were toxic. 

Byul looked at Yongsun in a panic. The omega just winked in return and glared at her brother in law. 

“You do not address my alpha.” She said sternly. “If you would like to speak to her, youwill ask for my permission first.”

Sungyeung looked outraged. Yongsun wanted to laugh. His usually tanned face was as red as a tomato and his nostrils flailed angrily. Byul fought off the urge to look at him smugly and instead scooted her chair closer to Yongsun. 

“I need some air.” Yonghee stood up. “I’ll be back momentarily.” 

Without excusing himself, Sungyeung also stood up on wobbly feet and stumbled on behind his wife. Once the doors to the dining room were slammed shut, Byul turned to Yongsun and chuckled slightly. 

“I think that went quite well, all things considered.” Byul mocked. 

Yongsun smacked her hand off the alpha’s shoulder and joined in with the laughter. 

“I was really rather worried that you’d break and jump at him from across the table.” Yongsun grinned. 

Byul returned the grin. “That’s funny, I thought the same about you.” 

Shouting could be heard from outside the hall and Yongsun wondered for a brief moment if she should step in and intervene. Yonghee may have chosen a terrible man to be her husband, but it didn’t mean she loved him any less. Just as Yongsun made the decision to stand up, the doors were thrown open again and her sister came back in. 

As soon as she sat down, Yongsun piped up. 

“Why do you stay with such a man?”

“Because I love him.” Yonghee shrugged. “Our love was one made by late night love confessions and marriage proposals by a lake illuminated by the full moon. Not one that was bought through gold.” 

The younger sibling felt the accusation stab at her heart. If only her sister knew. 

“I mean,” Yonghee continued, “I can’t believe after everything you’ve seen, everything you know and everything you’ve said you still went out and bought yourself an alpha.”

“It’s not like that!” Yongsun suddenly felt queasy, the room was spinning one way and her head was spinning the other. What on Earth was in that wine she drank?

“What’s it like then?”

“It’s a long story.”

“Yongsun, thanks to you I have all the free time in the world.” Yonghee sighed and rubbed her temples. “Tell me or else I’ll put your alpha’s name down to be thrown in the pit to fight a tiger during the festival.” 

Byul looked up in alarm. Her head snapped towards Yongsun and she blurted out, “I don’t want to fight a tiger.” Before turning to Yonghee and almost yelling, “Please don’t make me fight a tiger.” She turned back to the younger princess and asked, “What’s a tiger?” 

“It’s like a big cat.”

“Oh.” Byul looked delighted. 

“No, Byul, a scary big cat that could and would rip your face off.”

“Oh.” The panic was back. 

Yongsun sighed and ordered every single person to vacate the room besides the three sat at the table. She trusts her older sister more than anyone else in the world, save for Byul and Hyejin. As she recited the whole story, the look on Yonghee’s face never wavered. She was in complete awe at what her sister and this alpha have been up to behind the crown’s back for nearly a whole year. 

From breaking into the palace thinking she was stealing from Yonghee (the admission of which granted a deep glare from the older sibling), to teaching Byul’s sisters how to successfully read and write. Yonghee was on the edge of her seat. 

Yongsun finished the story with a “and now we’re here.” And her sister eyed them suspiciously. 

“So, you’re not together romantically?” She asked in her confusion. 

They both shook their heads uncertainly. Yonghee smiled at them knowingly and rolled her eyes. 

“Of course you aren’t.” She stood up, “Now that would be a silly question.” She winked. 

She made her way back to the door and stopped herself before leaving. Turning to face her sister and the alpha, she smiled at Byul and said, “I have quite a lot of expensive looking jewels in my room that I never wear and wouldn’t know that they’re missing if your village is ever lacking in anything.” 

Byul smirked at the older Kim sibling as she disappeared behind the doors and turned back to Yongsun. “I like her.” She gushed and earned herself a playful glare from the younger princess. 

“Don’t say that, or I shall get mildly jealous.” 

________________

The short walk back to Yongsun’s room was filled with fussing servants and the creak of a guards metal armour. Byul stayed a step behind the princess as instructed, but kept her hand on Yongsun’s elbow. 

Sooyoung was stood waiting by the princess’ door when they approached. Her arms contained a silver platter with two cups of tea and various fruits atop. She smiled and bowed to them as another servant opened the door. Only Sooyoung was permitted inside the princess’ private room, less chance of her jewellery going missing, apparently. That was, before Byul came on the scene. 

She left the platter on the table next to the balcony and helped Yongsun change into her bedwear. Byul watched from the side and couldn’t help but admire the perfectly pure skin of Yongsun’s bare back. She averted her gaze when the princess made eye contact through the mirror and instead took off her own leather shoes that she forgot to take off at the door. 

Yongsun felt relaxed and free within the loose fittings of her bed wear. She shooed Sooyoung out the door and bid her handmaiden a goodnight. Moving to where Byul was, she sat down on a cushion and sipped the hot tea. 

Something was niggling on Byul’s mind ever since the outburst by Yonghee.

_ “I can’t believe after everything you’ve seen, everything you know and everything you’ve said you still went out and bought yourself an alpha.” _

Everything you know. Byul wondered for a brief moment if Yonghee was talking about their mother. Byul knew of the rumours that surrounded the alpha mother of the princess’ but she played it off as just that. Rumours. It wasn’t until Heeyeon came along that she realised there was some sort of truth to the stories she was told. 

The internal battle within the alpha to say something must have been evident on her face. Yongsun smiled warmly at her and patted the cushion next to her. 

“Something’s on your mind.” Yongsun handed over the other tea cup. 

“It’s nothing.” Byul lied and gratefully took the cup from Yongsun’s grasp. 

The princess chuckled lightly, “I’ve noticed that whenever you have something on your mind your eyebrows knit together and your forehead scrunches up.” She smiled at the blush that crept on the alpha’s cheeks. “You also go very quiet. When you of all people are quiet that means you’re either asleep or up to no good.” 

“I’m often quiet.” Byul shrugged. 

“And you’re often up to no good.” Yongsun winked. “You can tell me.”

The alpha sighed and placed her tea back down. Turning to the princess, she licked her lips and cleared her throat. “It’s just what your sister said. About you knowing certain things and it not deterring you from buying an alpha.” 

“She just meant-“

“Did she mean your mother?” Byul interrupted. 

“What?”

“I know rumours about the alpha of the king and I never believed them until someone from the palace told me they were true. I was wondering if that’s what she meant.”

Yongsun’s mouth opened in slight shock and her eyes danced between one another as if trying to search for the answer within Byul’s very own dark orbs. She shook her head and mumbled incoherently before clearing her throat and trying again. 

“I know nothing of my mother.” She said in a very quiet voice. “She died not long after I was born. She was sick and just never got better.” 

“Oh.” Byul gasped slightly. She scolded herself for bringing up such a delicate matter to Yongsun all in an effort to be nosey. 

“Do you know what actually happened to her? My father refuses to speak about her. He says it’s too hard but it’s been twenty years.” 

Byul, for one of the first times in her life, was at a total and complete loss for words. She did not know whether she should tell the princess the truth or go back to pretending what the king told her was actually what happened. 

After getting a pleading look from the omega, Byul decided that honesty was the best form of action to take. 

“Kind of.” Byul wetted her lips. “I know someone that worked here at the time and she told me what happened. It’s a long story, are you sure you’d like to know?”

Upon getting a nod from the princess, Byul started. 

“Your mother was in an alpha training facility. She was beaten and tortured into submission just like every other alpha. When she was selected for choosing, she was apparently over the moon to be chosen by wealthy omega’s. She spotted this handsome man, she described him as the most beautiful omega she’s ever laid eyes on. He had thick wavy hair, he was tall, muscular and she said his smile could end a thousand wars. He apparently had the same amount of interest in her too. But there was only one problem.”

“What’s that?”

“He wasn’t the king. She fell in love with this other omega and if what your mother said to Heeyeon is true, he fell for her too. An alpha choosing normally lasts a week and the king spent nearly all of that week trying to force your mother to submit to him whereas the other omega kissed your mothers hand, asked for her name and told her how wonderfully beautiful she was.

“Then came the choosing ceremony and the king bought her for double the asking price just to keep the other omega away. Your mother tried to live a full and happy life but she hated the king. He forced their intercourse, he forced her to join him during his heats and he forced her to impregnate him.”

Byul had to stop herself when she heard a loud and heartbreaking sob from next to her. Yongsun, with tears running freely down her face, was still the picture of perfection in Byul’s eyes. She wiped away the tears and pulled the omega closer to her. 

“Keep going.” Yongsun cried. 

“Okay.” Byul took a deep and steadying breath. “When Yonghee was born, your mother was apparently over joyed. Heeyeon said it was as though someone lit a candle within her heart and jump started it again. But the joy was over quickly as alpha’s are not permitted to raise their children. They get taken away and are raised by omegas or beta’s. She maybe saw Yonghee once a month or less. 

“She fell further and further into a pit of despair. Then she was again overjoyed because of you. She demanded to see you more often than she saw Yonghee and the king beat her for insolence. After you were born she met you once and then never saw you again. It was the kings way of punishing her for demanding something from him. She couldn’t cope with the hatred in her own head and she...”

Yongsun glanced up just in time to see tears fall from the alpha’s eyes. This story wasn’t only breaking Yongsun’s heart, it was also breaking Byul’s. 

“And she, what?” The princess whispered. “What happened to her?”

“She killed herself.”

A mighty sob worked its way through Yongsun’s body. She shook and cried and threw her head down to rest in Byul’s lap. Yongsun used her arms to cradle her head and could feel the warm hand of the alpha rubbing circles through the thin material of her bed gown. 

They stayed like this for a long while. Neither willing to move from their positions. Both enjoying the comfort and warmth that came with each other’s embrace. 

Something deep inside of Yongsun knew that her mother killed herself. She didn’t realise it until now, but she never truly believed what her father told her. Everything that comes out of that mans mouth was complete and utter horse shit and Yongsun’s been eating it up like a naïve little girl all her life. 

Yongsun stood up and stretched her muscles. Her eyes were an angry shade of red and puffy. Byul’s eyes weren’t much different. The princess held out a hand for the alpha to take and hoisted her up. 

“Will you stay with me?” Yongsun whispered. “Just until I fall asleep?”

Byul nodded and quickly removed the jacket, waistcoat and trouser shorts she was wearing before joining Yongsun under the blankets of her luxuriously comfortable bed. 

They faced each other as Yongsun closed her eyes. It didn’t take long for the princess to surrender to slumber. Crying really does exhaust every single cell in your body. 

Byul needs to leave. She’s never stayed the night before. But what happens if Yongsun wakes up and she’s not there? What if she has a nightmare and there no one to calm her down? What if she wakes up hoping that Byul’s still there only to be greeted by the cold side of her bed?

Instead of doing what her brain screamed at her to do, Byul scooted closer to the omega and smiled as she felt Yongsun burrow as close as possible into her chest. She rested her chin atop the omega’s head and sighed lovingly. 

The hours flew buy quicker than ever and before Byul knew it, the sun was shining through the covered windows of the princess’ balcony and the omega in her arms began stirring. 

“Byul?” She mumbled as she pulled back slightly and rubbed her eyes. 

“I’m here, princess.” Byul whispered. 

“You stayed?” Yongsun was in complete shock, but the weariness of the morning hid it quite well. 

The alpha nodded, “Of course. I wanted to be here just in case you woke up in the middle of the night.”

“Did you sleep?”

Byul shook her head. “No. I wanted to be awake and alert for you if you needed me.”

Yongsun blinked away a few fresh tears that appeared within her eyes at the confession from the alpha. Never before has anyone been so attentive to her. Not her father, not her sister, not even Hyejin. Byul was something special and Yongsun did not need anymore convincing to that effect. 

The alpha used her free hand to brush the few strands of hair that littered the princess’ face and left her hand at the back of Yongsun’s head. 

There it was again. That spark. But this time, there was no one else around that could extinguish it. It needed igniting and only the alpha or omega on the princess’ bed could make it happen. 

Byul took the plunge and leaned in slowly whilst Yongsun closed her eyes. Their lips met each other in a timid and very inexperienced embrace. Byul pulled back and scolded herself for her rather lame attempt at kissing the princess. 

Yongsun opened her eyes, grabbed the collar of Byul’s frilly shirt and pulled her back towards her. Their equally inexperienced lips were crushed together this time in an embrace of fire and passion. They fell into a rhythm everntually, both finding little ways to cox noises from one another. 

The stories Yongsun read to Seulgi and Yesol suddenly made sense. How magical and wonderful true loves first kiss really was always seemed like only fiction to Yongsun, but now as she was experiencing it first hand, she can honestly say it really does feel like someone let off fireworks within her chest. 

Yongsun’s lips tasted faintly like camomile tea and something sweet. Byul wanted more. Opening her mouth, the alpha allowed herself to explore the omega more and ran her tongue faintly across the princess’ lips and Yongsun moaned as she accepted Byul’s tongue. She pulled the alpha on top of her and forced her impossibly closer. 

Air was starting to become a problem and they reluctantly broke apart. They couldn’t make eye contract for a few embarrassing seconds until Yongsun started giggling. In her slight embarrassment at the princess laughing at her, Byul hid her face in Yongsun’s neck and groaned. 

“Byul?” Yongsun breathlessly uttered. 

“Mmm?” Byul muttered into Yongsun’s neck. 

Yongsun pulled the alpha backwards. “Look at me.”

Byul did as she was told and hovered above the omega below her. She smiled encouragingly down at the princess despite the fact that she felt as though she was about to vomit with anxiety at any moment. 

“I think I love you.”

Byul grinned down. 

“I think I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy new year :)


	11. The Festival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rated M for sexual reasons! Enjoy :)

Preparations for the Festival of Lights were a tiresome and utterly boring affair for Yongsun to deal with. It took up a ridiculous amount of her time and energy and she found herself flopping into bed and falling asleep as soon as her head hit the fluffy pillows. 

She instructed for Byul to stay in the village whilst she worked. Other than her own personal reasons, there wasn’t much point in the alpha being hidden away in her room whilst she’s not there. She knew how much Byul missed Seulgi, Yesol and Wheein and she too missed seeing Byul’s sisters and Wheein, but she had a strict work shedule to abide by. 

The only thing she refused to help out with were the animal fights, of which she claimed were totally barbaric and should be immediately stopped. The king just ruffled her hair as if she were a five year old and entrusted the task to another. 

The festival was one like no other. Merchants from all over the kingdom came to flog their wears outside the palace walls, nobles everywhere were invited into the palace’s huge ball room for a banquet and entertainers from across Asia came to perform for his majesty. 

It was forged centuries ago by the alpha king that midway through March the festival will begin. He claimed the gods themselves started the festivals back in ancient times. It was a two day event, the king and his people let off thousands of lanterns as an offering to the gods above and the next day they were blessed with an incredible light show in the sky. 

Tales as old as time itself spoke of the mystical lights. It’s said that there was only one recorded time in history when the gods refused to accept the offerings of the kingdom. Centuries ago. That’s how the omega’s knew that the gods were on their side. The alpha king was slain in his bed chambers not long after the festival ended and the omega’s and beta’s ruled equally for a time until a rather hotheaded omega queen boasted of omega supremacy. 

Each reigning monarch looked forward to the festival but also was terrified. If the gods did not accept the offerings, it means they are displeased over the crown itself. 

“Three more days and it’ll be over.” Yongsun whispered to herself as she once again flopped ungracefully atop her comfortable bed and passed out right away. 

______________

“So, you won’t be here tomorrow?” Yesol asked in her cute and pleading voice. 

Byul regrettably shook her head. There’s nothing she wanted more in this world than to watch the lights with her sisters, her best friend and her love. A guilty pang strikes her chest as she sits down in between her sisters bed mats. 

“I’m sorry.” She says. “I have to miss it this year, but I promise that we’ll watch it together next year.” 

Yesol pouted. “But next year is so far away.”

“Where are you going?” Seulgi asked. 

“I’ll be in the palace for the whole festival with Solar.” Byul couldn’t help the way her cheeks heated up at the mention of the princess. 

“Are you in love with her?” Yesol asked bluntly. 

The alpha spluttered her way through an incoherent explanation of what she felt for the princess whilst the two omega’s on either side of her grinned cheekily. 

“Everyone’s in love with Solar.” Seulgi giggled. 

Yesol nodded, “I heard a few people talking about how nice and pretty she is.”

The older of the omega’s sighed dreamily. “I love Solar too.”

“Me too.” Yesol grinned. 

“I heard one alpha say they’d like to give her one.” Seulgi titled her head to the side. “What does that mean? Did they want to give her a flower or a ring?” 

Byul sucked her teeth in distaste and tried so very hard not to glare at her younger sister. She took a deep and calming breath before her composure came back. 

“Who said that, do you know?” 

“Yoon.”

The alpha grit her teeth and excused herself. Although she trusted Yoon enough to not attempt to make any sort of move on Yongsun, it didn’t hurt to let him know that talking about the omega in such a way was completely unacceptable. 

She cracked her knuckles as she spotted him sat down by the fire in the middle of the village laughing with a few other alpha’s. 

Byul couldn’t explain why she felt an overbearing tug of possession at the thought of another alpha being interested in Yongsun. Realistically speaking the omega was a goddess on two legs - two amazing legs, Byul would add. It only makes sense that others could see that too. 

Without faltering or stopping to properly address the situation she was about to force on the slightly older alpha, Byul tapped roughly on his shoulder. 

Yoon, who wasn’t prepared for such an greeting, fell forward on his knees. He was about to stand and yell when he realised who had pushed him. Grinning from ear to ear, he stood up and held his arms open expecting the shorter alpha to reciprocate. When Byul did not, he lowered them and scratched the back of his head. 

“I need to talk to you.” Byul tried not to sound venomous. 

Yoon nodded his head and gulped audibly. He searched his memory banks for anything he’s fucked up recently but came up with nothing. Maybe he didn’t do something he was supposed to and that’s why Byul was currently looking at him like a wolf looks at it’s prey. 

“Did I do something?” He asked in a hushed tone. 

“Have you been talking about Solar?” She blurted out. 

Yoon, obviously taken aback by the question, almost fell over his own feet in surprise. He wanted to laugh but had to stop himself over the serious look on Byul’s face. 

“Well.... you see... I- I was just...” He was completely flabbergasted at question thrown his way. 

Byul narrowed her eyes and pushed his shoulder in warning. “Do not speak about Solar as if she was just a common whore.”

“I didn’t!” He yelled. “I was simply expressing my fondness for her. She’s pretty and wholesome. That’s all.” 

The younger alpha sucked in a rather large amount of air as she tried to calm herself down. She couldn’t explain why on Earth she was bothered by Yoon’s words, but they grated on her. 

“Your fondness for her? Are you in love with her?” Even as she was saying it, she knew she was overreacting. In fact, each word that left her mouth made her cringe horribly, but she couldn’t help it. 

“What? No... I... no...” Yoon blushed a bright shade of red and his eyes darted from left to right. It only infuriated the thief more. 

Byul gasped and pointed an accusatory finger at the older alpha. “You are in love with her! Listen, Yoon,” Byul’s tone became dangerous, “You’re not allowed to be in love with Solar. There’s already enough people in love with her already. She’s full!” 

And with that ridiculous and absurd statement, Byul turned on her heel and headed back to her home. Multiple pairs of eyes bore holes in the back of the thief’s head, but she didn’t care. She wanted Yoon and everyone else within earshot to know that Yongsun wasn’t an option for anyone besides her. 

After their confession a few days prior, Byul felt this strange feeling of possessiveness strike her whenever anyone would even glance at the omega. She walked closer to Yongsun within the halls of the palace, she would throw glares at anyone who came close to the princess and even went as far as to growl at a beta guard who wished her a good morning. 

She put her overbearing possessive nature down to the fact that she was an untrained alpha. Most alpha’s within the kingdom were taught to control their emotions and conceal them from the world. Byul, on the other hand, was not. She wore her heart on her sleeve and every emotion on her face. 

Wheein stood by the entrance of their home with her arms crossed and a scowl upon her face. If there was only one person in the world that was never scared to call Byul out on her attitude, it was Wheein. And from the look on her face, she heard what Byul said to Yoon and she was not happy. 

“You should say sorry.” She said as Byul barged past her and slid open the door. 

“What for?” Byul asked stubbornly. 

Rolling her eyes, the younger alpha sighed. “You know what for. You can’t yell at your friends, Byul.”

“You can when they have their beady little eyes on your omega!” The words came out before Byul even had the chance to process what she was saying. 

Wheein stood in silent shock for a moment. From the corner of her eyes she could see the two younger Moon siblings’ heads poking out from their corner of the house. Their curious little eyes fixed on the back of their older sisters head. 

“Your omega?” Wheein repeated. 

The older alpha let out a loud sigh of frustration and sat down rather ungracefully on the dusty floor. She planned on how to tell Wheein about her and Yongsun ever since she and the princess shared that first kiss. She was going to sit Wheein down and explain that it wasn’t a big deal, but she was almost certain that she was going to be the future queen’s partner. 

Instead she let it slip out through jealous and angry lips. All that preparation - the whole twenty minutes it took to come up with her plan - was wasted. 

“Yes.” Byul spoke in a voice no louder than a whisper. “My omega.”

Wheein fell to her knees as gracefully and with as much elegance as Byul. She held a hand over the other alpha’s neck and searched for a mark. 

“She hasn’t marked me.” Byul swatted away Wheein’s hand and pushed her into a sitting position instead. “She kissed me... well, I kissed her... I mean, we kissed each other and she told me that she thinks she loves me.”

“And what did you say?”

“I told her I think I love her too.” 

Wheein didn’t get the chance to reply because two small squealing bundles of happiness ran from their room and jumped on top of their alpha sister. The younger alpha grinned at the scene in front of her. Seulgi was clutching onto Byul from behind whereas Yesol hopped into the alpha’s lap and squished Byul’s cheeks together. 

“I knew you loved Solar!” Seulgi practically yelled down Byul’s ear. 

“Does this mean you’re going to get married and have babies?” Yesol giggled. 

Byul, who’s face resembled a fish out of water thanks to Yesol’s hands and her rather personal question, blushed a dark shade of red and averted her gaze. 

“You’ll both be auntie’s before you know it.” Wheein teased. 

“That’ll be so cool! I could teach the baby how to read and write.” Seulgi gushed. 

Yesol gasped, “I could teach the baby how to steal food from Byul’s plate without her noticing!” 

“Wheein could teach the baby how to fish!” Seulgi added as she reached out for the younger alpha’s hand and pulled her close. 

They all laughed at Byul’s expense and the only thing the older woman could do was groan and take the verbal banter. After a few moments a more calm mood was found around the four girls that was broken by Yesol’s confused face. 

“Byul?” She asked. 

“Yes?”

“Where exactly do babies come from?”

______________

“You’ll be back in two days, right?” Wheein once again asked over breakfast. 

Byul nodded through a mouthful of rice. She took her time in swallowing it before she spoke. 

“Yes.” Placing her empty plate inside a bucket of cold water, Byul threw on her royal coat and made her way to her sisters. 

Both girls were snoring rather loudly atop their worn bed mats. Their mouths were open wide and both had a trail of drool running down the left side of their face. Wheein often commented on their sleeping state by saying that they look more and more like Byul whenever they slept. Byul wasn’t aware whether it was a compliment or insult so decided against commenting on it herself. 

She woke up both omega’s and they complained loudly at the disturbance. Once they realised why Byul had woken them up, they were both sobbing messes. Never before had Byul not been around for the festival. Granted they couldn’t see much of the lights because of the fact that they were always within the poor district, but they were always sat on top of their house roof with a blanket draped around their shoulders as the lights danced before their eyes. 

Byul held back her own tears at seeing her sisters so upset, but she knew she had to do it for the sake of keeping up appearances. If alpha’s wished to be free, Byul had to sacrifice family time. 

Wheein walked Byul to the outer edges of the village and pulled the older alpha into a hug. 

“If I don’t come back in four days...” Byul trailed off. 

“I know.” Wheein pulled back from Byul. “Take the gold, take your sisters, head south and get a ferry to Japan.” 

The older alpha shook her head. “No. If I don’t come back, take the gold, take my sisters and head straight to Hyejin. I trust her to keep you and my sisters safe.”

“But Byul..”

“No buts! You deserve a chance at happiness and a chance at love. Hyejin is a wonderful person. I’ve seen the way you look at her and the lovesick expression on your face whenever you talk about her.” Byul cradled Wheein’s head between her hands. “If anyone deserves to be loved by someone unconditionally and wholeheartedly, it’s you.” 

Wheein pulled the older alpha into another hug. She hoped and prayed that it wouldn’t be the last hug they’d share. Byul held their foreheads together for a few seconds before pulling back and heading towards the palace. 

The next few days would be the longest of Wheein’s life. 

____________

The palace was well stacked up with a multitude of guards. Byul struggled to stay hidden in the shadows and away from their watchful gazes. Even the wall that was never guarded, had four extra guards standing by. 

The festival, although a wonderful and community building event, was always the prime opportunity for assassins. The king spared no expense at protecting himself and his daughters. 

Byul was almost seen by guards at least five times. But luckily she was quicker than their eyes. Instead of climbing up the wall to the princess’ quarters in broad daylight, Byul headed towards the gardens. There she wouldn’t be questioned and she’d be left alone by prying eyes. 

Despite it being March, the air was warm but not uncomfortably warm. Byul took off her coat and slung it over one shoulder as she made her way over to the tree she was now fond of. 

Chattering voices were heard on the otherwise of the tree’s trunk and she immediately grinned knowing who the voices belonged to. 

“So, I said to her, ‘I can make my own way back from here.’ Because I didn’t want her to take me all the way as I knew she was terrified at coming into the kingdom walls.” The first voice, belonging to Ahn Hyejin, said. “But she took me all the way back. It made my heart flutter.”

“I can’t believe that’s the same alpha who still cannot hold a proper conversation with me.” Byul could hear Yongsun pout. 

“When you have it, you have it.” Hyejin shrugged. 

Yongsun gasped dramatically and held a hand over her chest. “Are you saying I don’t have it?”

Hyejin giggled behind her hand. “I’m not saying anything.”

“I’ll have you know, Lady Ahn, that I do have it.” Yongsun took a gulp from her now cold tea. “Whatever it is.” She grumbled. 

“You definitely have it.” Byul said once she came into view. 

“Byul!” Yongsun tossed her half empty tea cup to the ground and jumped up in surprise. 

She leapt into the alpha’s arms and peppered Byul’s face with featherlight kisses, forgetting who was sat behind them with her mouth wide open as her eyes danced between omega and alpha. 

“I missed you.” Yongsun whispered into the alpha’s neck and took a whiff of the other woman’s scent as she did. 

“I missed you too.” Byul breathed back. 

The clearing of a voice from behind them brought them back down to earth. Hyejin squinted her eyes at them and menacingly took a swig of her equally cold tea. Yongsun blushed and sat back down on the pillows Sooyoung laid out for her, pulling Byul down with her as she did so. 

“How are your sisters?” Yongsun asked as Hyejin studied them. 

“Good.” Byul grinned. “Seulgi actually gave me this to give to you.” She took out a folded parchment of paper and handed it to the princess. “God knows what it says, though. I’m pretty sure it’s just random symbols.” 

Yongsun unfolded the parchment and felt herself melt over what the middle Moon sibling had written for her. A few things were needed for it to be a complete sentence, but the intent was there. 

별   
사랑  
솔라

“You don’t know what this says?” Yongsun asked. 

Byul shook her head and stared at the parchment as though the answer would suddenly jump out at her. 

“It says you love me.”

Before Byul could think of a cocky or confident reply, Hyejin gagged. Both pairs of eyes snapped towards the youngest among them as if only just realising she was there. 

Hyejin glared at the two and wiggled her tea in her hand. “Do you guys mind? I’m trying to drink my tea.”

_____________

The festival was fast approaching and Yongsun was ushered by Sooyoung back into the confines of her chambers. Hyejin promised the princess that they’d see one another at the banquet later on in the evening before bidding goodbye to the omega and her alpha. 

Byul, who was still extremely weary of Sooyoung’s wandering eyes, stuck as close to Yongsun as possible as they made their way to her room. Beta guards and omega servants bowed their heads to them as they walked past. Byul glared at the beta’s who’s eyes lingered on the princess for a few seconds too long. 

As soon as the sliding door to the omega’s room was shut, Sooyoung ran around like a headless chicken trying to get the princess’ dress together. Yongsun chuckled warmly at her handmaiden and pulled Byul over to the bed. 

Atop the worlds most comfortable bed was a glisteningly white outfit. She ran a hand over the expensive and soft fabric. Yongsun grabbed at the clothes and instructed for the alpha to hide behind the folding screen to change. 

Sooyoung was too busy trying to find the right shoes to go with the dress she finally picked out to even acknowledge that Byul was ever in the room. She grumbled to herself over the amount of shoes the princess actually had and began carefully tossing them over her shoulder in an effort to find nice ones. 

The handmaiden stood up suddenly and motioned for the princess to go over to her as she helped her out of her day wear and into her festival outfit. 

The first day of the festival started roughly mid afternoon and continued until the last noble standing finally passes out. Being the princess, and future queen of the kingdom, Yongsun could ill afford to be even a minute late to the festival and had to get ready as early as possible. 

Yongsun was helped into her extremely fitting dress with the help of Sooyoung and a very tight corset. Luckily she was used to them otherwise she was certain she’d burst. 

She could hear Byul struggling from behind the folding screen and had to suppress a giggle at the profanities coming from the alpha. The look etched upon Sooyoung’s face after hearing such language did not go unnoticed by the omega. She knew Sooyoung was just as curious about Byul as she herself once was. Except Sooyoung couldn’t do anything about her curiosity besides watching from afar. 

Dressing Yongsun was easy. Sooyoung spent most of her adult life doing it. Putting make up on the princess, however, was the difficult part. Knowing which colours made what shine wasn’t common knowledge to the servant. She was often scolded by the princess to putting too much of one product on and not enough of another. In the end she opted to just allow the princess to either guide her through helpful words of just do it herself. 

When Yongsun was finally satisfied with how she looked, she shooed Sooyoung away and told her to have the rest of the night off. Sooyoung seldom got to enjoy the festival as she was always waiting hand and foot on Yongsun. She even went to Japan with the princess. 

“But who’s going to help you out of your dress?” Sooyoung spluttered as she was all but pushed towards the door. 

“It’s okay.” Yongsun smiled. “My alpha will help.” 

The hidden meaning behind the princess’ words made Sooyoung grimace. Before she could think to reply, the door was slid closed and the princess had already began to walk away. 

She stopped short just as a fully dressed Byul came out from behind the folding screen. Yongsun’s breath hitched at the sight of Byul in her suit. Her white cotton trousers were tucked neatly into her knee length white leather boots. The plain cotton white shirt was tucked into her trousers at the waist and a white blazer was draped over her shoulders. A black leather belt was tied at her waist to properly finish the outfit. 

Subconsciously, Yongsun bit her bottom lip. 

Subconsciously, Byul did the exact same. 

Yongsun was dressed in a rather elegant red dress that not only showed off her curvaceous physique but also highlighted her class and elegance. Her hair was in subtle curls and parted over each shoulder and her make up highlighted the soft coloured tones of her eyes. 

Byul was sure she was drooling. She wondered to herself if she could discreetly check to see whether or not she actually was without Yongsun noticing. She ran her tongue along her bottom lip in search of any form of moisture and was relieved when she found none. 

The princess’ eyes followed the actions of the alpha and she felt drawn to her. As though a magnetic force was pulling her towards the alpha. 

“How do I look?” Byul asked sheepishly. 

“Perfect.” Yongsun whispered before cupping one of Byul’s cheeks in the palm of her hand and leaning in slightly to leave a chaste kiss upon the alpha’s lips. 

Byul kept her eyes closed as the omega pulled away. She sighed lovingly at the feelings inside her chest. When Yongsun turned around and made a play for the door, Byul once again ran her tongue along her lips in an effort to savour the taste of Yongsun’s own lips on hers. 

Instead of having her walk behind her throughout the halls, Yongsun held Byul’s hand in hers and allowed the alpha to lead them to the banquet hall. The gasps and shocked murmurings were enough to make the young couple snigger. Alpha’s walked behind omega’s in their society, they did not lead them anywhere. Imagine the look on the kings face when they arrived into the hall, hand in hand and grins as big as the moon and as bright as the sun. 

Although the thought occurred to her, the princess refused to drop the alpha’s hand. Instead she nodded towards the king and allowed Byul to lead her towards the throne.

The king glared at their unified hands, but did not comment on it. Instead he watched as his daughter and her alpha bowed lowly to him and walked away. His unimpressed expression lingered as the couple sat down at a table in the far end of the room. 

“Youngho.” He clicked his fingers and waved over one of his guards. “Keep an eye on my daughters alpha. Report anything suspicious she does or says back to me.”

Youngho banged his fist off his chest and bowed to the king before marching over towards where the princess and her alpha were. 

Yongsun was handed two glasses of high quality wine by a passing alpha servant and shoved one of the glasses into Byul’s hand. They chatted animatedly for a while before Yongsun’s eyes widened in horror. 

“Byul,” She whisper-screamed across to the confused looking alpha, “Don’t look now but-“

Yongsun didn’t even get the chance to finish her sentence before Byul very obviously swivelled around in her chair. Grabbing her face and pulling it back towards herself, the princess continued, “I told you not to look! Do you remember that beta man I was telling you about? The one my father wanted me to marry? Well, he’s coming over.”

Taking a huge gulp from her wine glass, Yongsun took a few deep breaths as her childhood friend came towards them. Byul turned just in time to get a good look at the man. The wind left her body in a loud squeak when her eyes finally settled on the mans face. 

And when he opened his mouth to talk, Byul had to look away in an attempt to compose herself. 

“Hey Yongsun.” He smiled at the princess in an unusually high voice. 

“Hi, Yohan.” Yongsun subtly kicked Byul’s shin to get her to stop cackling under her breath. 

Yohan noticed the shaking shoulders of the alpha but ignored her. Instead his face reflected the sadness he felt inside his heart knowing that the rumours of Yongsun’s love belonging to an alpha were true. 

“We must have a catch up sometime.” 

Yongsun nodded knowing full well they won’t be having a catch up anytime in the future. “We must. Right now my schedule is packed but once it’s cleared, we will.” 

“Of course.” He bowed his head. “Congratulations on the news, by the way. Mother told me and I was ecstatic for you.” 

“Thank you, Yohan.”

Taking that as his queue to leave, Yohan bowed his head again and walked back towards the king. After making sure the coast was clear, Byul erupted into uncontrollable laughter. 

It took nearly five minutes to calm the alpha down. They got a few curious stares as the alpha attempted to regain her earlier composure. 

“Byul, please.” Yongsun pleaded. 

“I’m sorry, princess.” Byul snorted. “But I can’t help it! I can’t believe your father wanted you to marry him.”

Yongsun scoffed. “I know, that’s why I needed you.”

“Yongsun, can I ask you a serious question?”

“Go ahead.”

“Does your father hate you?”

Yongsun squeaked at the question and whacked the alpha on her shoulder a few times. 

“What kind of question is that?”

“I’m serious.” Byul wiped away the tears that were threatening to fall from her eyes. “Why else would he want you to marry a man that’s as tall as Yesol, that has the voice of a thirteen year old girl and a face like a squashed pie?” 

“He has a lovely personality.”

“You’d have to, with a face like that.” 

They bickered endlessly for a while and got drunk on not only the unlimited supply of quality wine, but also on each other. They were so immersed with one another that they didn’t even notice that the entertainment had arrived. Hyejin was even sat at their table with her cousin Seulgi and her baby Daehyun and the couple hadn’t acknowledged them in the slightest. 

Hyejin and her cousin teased the thief and the princess, but it didn’t deter either of them from paying attention to anyone but each other. Hyejin sighed as she watched the two fools in love, she hoped to have something like this with someone one day. Maybe even Wheein if the alpha would agree. 

She’s pretty sure that if Wheein asked her to, she’d move into the alpha village and live with the shorter girl. They hadn’t done anything but talked and Hyejin felt this instant connection with Wheein. 

Sighing, she looked over to her cousin and spotted the exact same zoned out look on her face as she herself was supporting not two seconds ago. She hoped Seulgi wasn’t thinking about Joohyun, but she knew the omega would be. 

‘One day you’ll see each other again.’ Hyejin thought to herself. ‘I promise you, Seul.’

After a good few hours and a lot more wine was consumed, the king stood to attention causing the whole room to quieten down. 

“Friends! It’s time to light the lanterns of hope.” 

The room stood by as the king descended from his throne and headed out towards his balcony. Yonghee and her husband occupied the balcony to the kings right whereas Yongsun and Byul were in the one to his left. 

All the nobles and servants vacated the banquet hall and headed towards the courtyard where all of the lanterns were situated. The king waited until all the nobles were ready and set off the first lantern. It sailed into the air alone for a few seconds before Yonghee released hers. 

Just before Yongsun was about to let go, she turned to Byul and handed it over to her. 

“Make a wish and release it into the air.” Yongsun smiled sweetly at the alpha. 

“Me?”

“Yes you!”

Byul held onto the lantern with one hand and gestured for Yongsun to hold the other side. 

“Together.” She smiled. 

“Together.” Yongsun repeated as they finally let go of the lantern and watched it float upwards into the pitch black sky. 

Hundreds of lanterns followed on from the courtyard and thousands more followed from outside the palace walls. Byul had only ever seen the lanterns at a distance with her sisters. It was overwhelming to see it properly in person with her own eyes. 

Even though the lanterns were so visually pleasing they chocked her up, she couldn’t help how her gaze dropped down to the omega beside her. She couldn’t fathom how such a beautiful, kind and wonderful person could love her so. 

“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” Yongsun asked. She tried as hard as she could to follow their lantern but it was lost rather quickly among the thousands of others. 

“Yeah,” Byul whispered, “you are.” 

The princess blushed under the heavy gaze of the alpha. She turned her head slightly and locked her eyes with Byul’s. 

Another spark. 

This time the spark was bigger and filled with so much blindingly raw passion that neither alpha nor omega could even attempt to ignore it. 

Yongsun took Byul’s hand and guided them away from the balcony, away from the banquet and away from the watchful eyes of Youngho. 

“Where are we going?” Byul asked as they climbed seemingly endless flights of stairs. 

“You’ll see.” Yongsun winked over her shoulder. 

Yongsun took them to the roof of the palace. The view was insane. Byul could see the entire kingdom from up here. The lanterns passed by them as though they were in heaven itself. 

Turning Byul towards her, Yongsun pointed to a small gazebo covered in pillows and blankets. She walked over to it and settled atop a rather snug and huge pillow that could double as a small child’s mattress. 

“I used to come up here every day as a child to hide away from my nanny’s and tutors.” Yongsun chuckled warmly. “When Yonghee found out about it, she made some of the servants create this little gazebo and ordered pillows from only the best market stalls in the kingdom. Only I and whomever I want is allowed up here.” 

“And I’m allowed the honour?” Byul winked as she sat down besides the omega. 

Yongsun nodded shyly. “Yes. There are many things that I wish to share with you, Byul, and in time I expect to share every aspect of my life with you and yours with me.” 

“I’d like that.” The alpha smiled and tried to force to omega to look at her. 

Taking in a huge and shaky breath, Yongsun sat up straighter but kept her gaze on her hands. “Byul, I want to give you something. Something I hope you won’t refuse. I want to give you something intimate, unconditional and something special.”

“Hey.” Byul knocked their shoulders together. “Look at me.”

Yongsun did as she was told and continued, “Byul, I want you to have me. Under the moon, the stars and the lanterns signifying hope and prosperity. I want us to become one on the night that the gods themselves will be paying the upmost attention on our kingdom. I hope you won’t refuse me but-“

The princess’ sentence was cut short as she was interrupted by Byul’s lips. The kiss was slow, unmoving but wholly intimate. It was a kiss that conveyed love, trust and companionship. Something both the omega and the alpha craved from one another. 

Byul pulled an inch away and rested their foreheads together. “I want you to have me too.” The whispered confession was almost inaudible but due to their close proximity, Yongsun heard it. 

They stayed in that position for some time. Neither breaking the warm silence. 

Yongsun leaned back in after the tension was too much to bear and connected their lips once again. This time the kiss was rougher and more passionate. The princess’ hands found themselves tangled up in Byul’s dark locks and her nails scraped against the alpha’s scalp causing the alpha to groan into Yongsun’s mouth. 

Finding the noise that erupted from Byul too erotic to ignore, Yongsun set out trying to coax as many of those little noises out of the alpha as possible. 

Detaching her lips from Yongsun’s, Byul left a trail from the corner of her mouth down towards her jawline and down once again to the scent glands on the omega’s neck. Now that she had Yongsun’s express permission, she allowed her tongue to move slowly across the delicate skin of the omega’s neck and was finally able to taste the omega. 

She could hear moans of satisfaction coming from the omega as her tongue was replaced by her lips upon Yongsun’s neck. Byul found out rather quickly that her most sensitive spot wasn’t her scent gland, but rather the junction between her earlobe and the beginnings of her jawline. 

Byul’s hands wandered over the princess’ dress and she struggled to find any sort of give with it. She couldn’t find the buttons if there were any, she couldn’t feel around for a zip either. She felt utterly bamboozled by this dress. 

Realising that the alpha was struggling, Yongsun pulled back from their embrace and turned around. She pointed to the side of the dress. 

“The zipper is here.” She said breathlessly. 

Byul took this as the prime opportunity to attack Yongsun’s neck from behind as her hands finally found the blasted zipper and pulled it down. The princess leaned back into the alpha and raised her arms to clutch at the alpha’s head from behind. 

Another groan emitted from the alpha and the omega responded with a moan of her own. 

When the dress was thrown to one side, Byul took a moment to appreciate the princess’ body. She was still wearing a corset, a brazier and undergarments, but the sight was almost overwhelming for the virgin alpha. 

“What’s wrong?” Yongsun asked as she pulled Byul closer towards her and placed the alpha’s hands on the straps of her corset. 

Byul turned an even darker shade of red than before and thanks to the lanterns hovering overhead, Yongsun could name the exact colour that adorned the alpha’s cheeks. Crimson. 

“I’ve never... you know... with anyone.” Byul admitted. “I’m scared I won’t know what to do.” 

Holding both of the alpha’s cheeks in her hands, Yongsun leaned in and placed a deep and reassuring kiss upon the alpha’s lips. Pulling back, Yongsun flashed a comforting smile. 

“Neither have I.” Another slow kiss. “That’s the beauty of what we have. It’s just between us. Just let your alpha instincts take over. I trust you.” 

Yongsun watched as Byul nodded at her. She slid her hands down from the alpha’s face and onto her blazer covered shoulders. She kept her eyes locked onto the thief’s as she slowly pulled the blazer down her arms and onto one of the many pillows that littered the floor of the gazebo. 

The belt around Byul’s waist was also tossed aside along with her shirt and the bindings she used to hold her chest in place. Yongsun’s corset and brazier found themselves having the same fate as Byul’s clothes. 

Hesitating hands explored each other’s naked torsos and eventually Yongsun began pulling down Byul’s trousers. Halfway through pulling them down, the alpha realised that her shoes were still very much on her feet and struggled with them for a minute or so before also throwing them as far as she possibly could. 

Despite it behind hidden away behind her undershorts, Yongsun could feel Byul’s growing hardness pressing against her inner thigh as they continued their heated embrace with Yongsun on her back and Byul hovering over her. 

“Can I?” Yongsun whispered against impatient lips. 

Byul nodded and moaned into Yongsun’s mouth when she felt the latter’s hands moving underneath her undershorts to grope her buttocks. She inadvertently found herself grinding against the skin of Yongsun’s thighs. 

The princess pushed the undershorts as far down the alpha’s legs as her current position would allow. Byul disposed of them when they hung awkwardly around her knees. 

The alpha sat back and stared open mouthed at the sight before her. The princess, the future queen of the kingdom, her omega, was reduced to a panting and withering mess atop a bunch of unequal shaped pillows because of her. 

Yongsun felt herself staring right back at the alpha. Her member stood up proudly and looked painfully hard. She felt another wave of arousal swarming downwards to her core at the thought of what the alpha was going to do with her fully erect member. 

“Before we go any further,” Byul’s voice was more shaky than Yongsun had ever heard before, “are you sure?”

Leaning upwards to give another reassuring kiss to the alpha in front of her, Yongsun replied with a simple, “Yes.” 

The alpha’s eyes glazed over slightly and she ripped off the princess’ undergarments. Granted it was just a thin piece of cloth that covered her most intimate parts, but Yongsun found the action to be undeniably sexy. 

Byul used her right hand to touch the princess’ core and gasped at how wet she was. She wasn’t expecting her to be as drenched as what she was. She found the omega’s clit easy enough and used her thumb to draw lazy circles across it. The actions alone made the omega thrash around like crazy and moan obscenely. 

Using her index finder, she slowly pushed it into the beating core of the princess and pumped slowly and carefully. Although the princess was no stranger to fingers being inside her - granted it was her own - she appreciated the caring and slow nature of the alpha. Most untrained alpha’s would have just rutted away into her until they came, but not Byul. 

Byul wanted Yongsun to be as prepared as possible for her. She needed to ease the princess’ core and stretch it without causing too much pain. 

She inserted another finger and her strokes became slightly harder and faster. Byul’s mouth was latched upon the wonderful mounds on the princess’ chest and the omega couldn’t help but moan the thief’s name over and over again as she felt a familiar tinge in her lower abdomen. 

Another finger was added and between the three fingers going in and out of her dripping wet heat and the thumb rubbing circles over her clit, Yongsun was pushed over the edge of sanity. 

She screamed Byul’s name out as her walls clamped down on Byul’s long slender fingers and the grip she had on the alpha’s hair was becoming more and more tighter. And then suddenly the grip was loose and the arms that were once around her head fell loosely to the side. 

Byul took her fingers back and crawled up the omega before kissing her deeply. The omega reciprocated with as much enthusiasm, joy and love as she was receiving from the alpha. 

“I’m ready.” She whispered against Byul’s lips. 

Knowing what she meant, Byul opened the princess’ legs wider and settled in between them. She held on to her throbbing member and rubbed it up and down Yongsun’s wet core. She moaned at her own ministrations and slowly slipped the head into the princess’ heat. 

Yongsun gasped slightly in pain but made no indication that she wanted to stop. Instead she urged the alpha to keep going. Byul did as she was told, but she did it slowly. Every few inches, she’d stop and wait for Yongsun to get used to her before adding a few more. 

The princess knew that as an omega, losing ones virginity wasn’t always a pleasant experience and could often lead to being a bit sore down there. She knew it was worse when the omega’s partner had a bigger member than average. But, strangely enough, she didn’t find the actions of the alpha unpleasant in the slightest. 

“Byul,” Yongsun moaned once Byul was completely inside Yongsun, “move.” She demanded and began rocking her own hips. 

Nodding, Byul started to move. She pulled out ever so slightly and slowly pumped back in. She was in absolute heaven. Yongsun was so tight around her that she felt as though she was being suffocated inside Yongsun’s snug velvety walls. 

The princess’ hands rested on the alpha’s shoulders and her legs wrapped around Byul’s thighs urging her deeper. They both moved in unison, trying to find the best rhythm together. 

Their mouths fought against one another for any sort of dominance. Teeth clashed, lips were bitten and tongues explored more than ever before. 

Yongsun, who already hit her height a few mere moments ago, could feel herself getting close to another climax. She moaned Byul’s name and warned her that she was nearly there. 

The alpha, in turn, pumped harder and faster as she chased her own relief. She could feel it in her abdomen. She was so close. 

“Harder.” Yongsun demanded. 

Byul was never one to refuse the pleas of the omega underneath her. She began to pull out nearly all the way, leaving in only the head of her cock, before slamming back into the screaming omega. 

Yongsun’s walls were chocking her as another orgasm ripped itself through the omega’s body. Her hands scratched at Byul’s back and over her shoulders leaving little marks, but the alpha did not care in the slightest. She’d wear the claw marks like a badge of honour. 

She was so close to her own relief that it only took a few more pumps and she came. Her orgasm took control of her and emptied herself into her omega. She closed her eyes as she kept pumping in and out of the omega until her orgasm subsided. 

They lay together in complete bliss for a few minutes. Byul was still on top of (and inside) Yongsun and the princess gazed lovingly up at the lanterns that were still passing by. 

“Yongsun.” Byul lifted her head up. 

“Yes?” 

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

They shared a kiss. One as sweet and delicate as the first. Byul rested her head back in its original place and sighed lovingly. 

“Mark me.” The whisper came out so quietly that Byul could have sworn her traitorous mind made it up. 

“What?” Byul asked and sat up. In the process of sitting up, she pulled her member out from the princess’ core causing them both to moan and giggle at one another. 

Yongsun reached up and cupped Byul’s left cheek. “I want you to mark me as yours and I want to mark you as mine.” 

Tears stung the alpha’s eyes as she stammered out, “But what will the king say? Alpha’s aren’t allowed to mark omega’s.”

“It’s not illegal, just frowned upon. Like urinating in the street.”

“You’re going to compare me marking you to urinating in the street?” 

“What? Byul! No!” Yongsun used a closed fist to berate the laughing alpha. “That’s not what I meant.”

“I know.” Byul smugly commented. 

Yongsun rolled her eyes. Byul laughed. 

“I would be honoured to mark you as mine.” The alpha whispered and pulled Yongsun into a seated position on top of the alpha’s lap. 

Yongsun wrapped her legs around the alpha and melted into her embrace. She felt Byul’s fingers moving her hair to one side and replaced by the alpha’s warm and inviting lips. 

She bit down on her bottom lip as she felt the alpha’s teeth bite down hard on her scent glands. She could feel tiny specks of blood begin to form but instead of feeling them run down her shoulder, she felt the alpha cleaning it up with her tongue. 

Byul pulled back to admire her work and the omega was in a state of shock at how red and swollen the alpha’s eyes were. She could feel herself tearing up at the mere sight of the alpha. 

She pulled Byul in for a few small and innocent kisses before she trailed her lips down to Byul’s own scent glands. She licked the surface of Byul’s neck thoroughly before biting down just as hard as the alpha. 

After cleaning Byul’s mark with her own tongue, Yongsun pulled back to rest her forehead against the alpha’s. They stayed in their embrace for what felt like hours. Neither moving. 

The only thing that they allowed to cut through the silence were the confessions they could not hold back. 

“I love you.” They said in unison before connecting their lips once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos’ always welcome but never demanded. Hope you enjoyed the slight smutfest.


	12. The Festival - Day Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is rated. 
> 
> M for sexual reasons.   
> TW for violence.

Byul has awoken to many glorious sights in her lifetime. From waterfalls to thunderstorms, she had always wished to be woken up to the most visually beautiful sights available to her. Every other morning, however, pales in comparison to today. 

One eye opened slowly but closed quickly as if to block the light that was attacking her. Her head was resting on something soft, silky and... moving? 

Byul lifted up her head to a most breathtaking and ethereal sight she’s ever been blessed to see. 

Yongsun. 

Her head was lolled to the side and there was a fair amount of drool coming from one corner of her mouth, but with one soft swipe of Byul’s finger the trail was gone. Her hair was messy and her make up from the first day of the festival was smudged, but Byul couldn’t imagine a view more wonderful than the raw beauty that is Kim Yongsun. 

Byul placed her head back down on the princess’ chest and looked out on the horizon. The sun was poking above a few mountains towards the east of the village and it made the alpha’s view even more spectacular. 

For the first time in her life, she felt at peace. She wasn’t terrified of what the day would bring, she wasn’t worried about food shortages or money shortages. She was happy, she was safe and most importantly she was loved in ways she didn’t think were possible. 

A loud snore erupted from the princess and it startled the thief. Byul raised her head again at the noise and allowed her eyes to trace the mark that hung from the princess’ neck like a medal. And then it hit her. 

Yongsun let her mark her. 

She let Yongsun mark her too. 

She rubbed her neck where the princess’ mark was and grinned like a fool. She swore she’d never allow an omega to mark her like a piece of furniture but Yongsun’s mark was different. It was mutual, equal and made from love, respect and passion. 

The possibility of someone loving her the way Yongsun did was always an impossible dream that she refused to chase. She was sure she was incapable of providing or receiving such affection so she didn’t bother to pursue it. 

But on this strangely warm morning in March, on this beautifully decorated gazebo lay the love of her life. Her soulmate. Her partner. Her future queen. 

Byul leaned down and placed a delicate kiss upon the princess’ lips. The actions caused the sleeping omega to wake up. 

“Morning.” She mumbled and stretched her arms above her head. 

The alpha whispered the same greetings in the princess’ ear and left small kisses over the marks she left on Yongsun’s neck the previous night. Yongsun moaned softly in appreciation for the affectionate gesture from Byul and pulled her closer. She sighed as she looked out towards where the sun was poking its head up over the mountains. 

“It’s beautiful.” She murmured. 

Byul stopped what she was doing and faced the view Yongsun was talking about. 

“It really is.”

“I’ve never seen colours like this in the morning of just a normal day, let alone the second day of the festival.” Yongsun shivered slightly as a particular cold gush of wind passed them. “The sky is normally only colourful at night.”

The alpha rested her head back down on the omega’s chest and entwined their fingers together. 

“Do you think the gods have blessed us?” She asked. 

Yongsun’s gaze fell from the sky and onto the alpha currently snuggled into her chest. She grinned proudly when her eyes locked on the marks that adorned the alpha’s neck. 

“I do believe they have.” The princess could feel a few tears sting her eyes, but she blinked them away. 

“How are we going to get back down to your room without being noticed?” Byul suddenly asked. “I think your dress may have been thrown over the edge of the roof.”

“What?!” Yongsun pushed the alpha off of her and jumped up only to find her dress on the floor only a few meters away from the gazebo. 

At the sound of the alpha laughing at her, Yongsun narrowed her eyes and glared in faux anger and watched in hidden delight as the grin was slowly fading away from the alpha’s face. Taking in a huge breath, the omega stood over Byul with one leg on either side of the alpha’s hips and sat down roughly on her abdomen. 

A small squeak erupted from the alpha and she tried to fix her gaze on the face of the omega but her eyes drifted downwards to the bite marks on the princess’ chest, then down further just in time to see, as well as feel, Yongsun grind herself on Byul’s abdomen. 

The alpha groaned and could feel herself once again growing hard for the omega. She reached up and tried to flip their positions, but Yongsun pushed her back down and smirked. 

“Let me show you how omega’s do it.” She winked. 

Byul whimpered when she felt the soft and delicate hands of the princess touch her cock from behind and massage it until it was fully erect. The alpha gulped and fought the urge to close her eyes and get lost within the princess’ grasp. Instead she kept her eyes open and watched as the omega on top of her lined the alpha’s member up with her entrance and slowly took the head inside her. 

They both moaned sharply at the sensations that spiked through them both. Yongsun lowered herself slowly on Byul’s cock, stopping every few inches so she could adjust to Byul’s size. 

The alpha couldn’t stop herself from bucking up once the princess’ greedy walls swallowed her whole. Yongsun gave her a disapproving shake of the head and placed her two hands flat on the alpha’s chest to hold her down. 

“Don’t move.” She warned. 

Byul nodded and watched as Yongsun began to lift herself up ever so slightly and then slowly lower herself back down. The actions were agonising for the alpha who couldn’t help but moan hopelessly into the warm morning air. 

After a few strokes, Yongsun began to pick up the pace and found herself in a rhythm that both of them were enjoying. She watched as Byul began to bite down on her hand in lieu of what to do. 

She removed her own hands from Byul’s chest and grabbed onto the alpha’s. She pulled Byul up and wrapped her arms around the alpha’s shoulders. 

“Hold me.” She moaned into Byul’s ear. 

Byul was all too happy to do as the omega commanded and placed her arms around the princess’ waist. She moved her head to the side and finally captured Yongsun’s lips with her own. 

Their kisses were desperate and sloppy, but neither cared. They were too busy concentrating on chasing their growing climaxes. 

A rather obscene and downright filthy moan rips itself from Yongsun’s chest and directly into Byul’s mouth causing the alpha to growl right back at the omega. Yongsun let her head flop backwards as a tingle starts to develop. Byul takes the opportunity to surge forward and leave more of her marks all over the princess’ exposed neck and shoulders. 

After a particularly hard thrust, it was over for them both. 

Byul felt Yongsun’s walls clamping down on her member as orgasms ripped through both the omega and the alpha. The princess could feel the alpha emptying herself within her and collapsed on top of her. 

“I like the omega way.” Byul panted. 

Yongsun snorted, “Just as much as the alpha way?”

The alpha seemed to take a few seconds to think before she flipped them so that Yongsun was on her back and Byul was hovering over her. 

“I can’t properly remember.” She grinned, “I’ll need to do it again so I can compare the two.” 

Yongsun rolled her eyes and grabbed the alpha’s neck softly before pulling her down. 

_______________

Sooyoung lead a very simple life. In fact, every aspect of her life was already set in stone before she was even born. She was to be put to work as a handmaiden in the palace for the youngest princess, following in the footsteps of her older sister who catered for Yonghee’s every whim. 

Over time both Sooyoung and Yongsun developed a mutual fondness for one another. Yongsun brought the young handmaiden with her to her lessons and made the tutor teach her how to read and write properly, she brought Sooyoung down to the royal dining room to eat alongside the king and her sister and she even brought her to her holiday home to help look after the princess during her first few heats. 

Add Hyejin to the equation and the palace had the three most mischievous devils running about and creating havoc wherever they went. Guards sighed whenever they would spot the three giggling omega’s running from one room and into another because nine times out of ten a scream would erupt from the room they vacated. 

They got in trouble frequently, but only Sooyoung was punished. No one, not even the king, would ever dare raise a finger to Yongsun. Not that they were scared of the young girl, they were just worried about her retaliating and somehow filling up their shoes with horse manure, something she did once to the poor cook that refused to make her something. 

Yongsun’s mischievous side was somehow left behind in Japan and she came back a completely different person. The guards were sure a witch put a curse on the young omega, but Yongsun was adamant that she just matured in the four years that she was away. 

Sooyoung knew the truth behind her maturity. She watched as the princess came into close contact with the emperors advisors who ranged from omega’s and beta’s to alpha’s. The handmaiden herself had her eyes opened by the equal treatment alpha’s received whilst accompanying the princess abroad. 

Although learning of the princess purchasing an alpha came as a huge shock to the handmaiden, she daren’t question Yongsun or her actions. The alpha she brought to the palace was friendly, too friendly for a properly trained alpha. She was talkative too which should have been an immediate red flag against the alpha. She never averted her gaze and she’d gawk at anything and everything she could see. 

Byul was unusual. She had the aura of a Japanese alpha rather than a Korean one. Where Korean alpha’s are more submissive and obedient, Japanese ones were not. They spoke out of term, they held intense eye contact with omega’s of the same standings and they walked with confidence oozing out of every cell of their being. 

Sooyoung knew that an alpha like that could get anyone, even the favoured princess of the king, into trouble. The handmaiden hoped and prayed that the princess knew what she was doing. 

Every morning started the same for Sooyoung. She’d somehow fall out of bed and land on the hardwood floor with a mighty thud, the guards that paced backwards and forwards outside her room would snigger and laugh at the sound, then she’d quickly get dressed into her uniform and wake the princess. 

She yawned as she made her way down the corridor towards Yongsun’s luxury room. Last night she was allowed to spend the first night of the festival with her family, which meant she got back to the palace in the early hours of the morning and now she’s running off maybe three hours sleep. 

She sends a quick prayer to the gods to keep her awake tonight, otherwise she may pass out before she even gets the chance to watch the lights. 

“Princess.” She’s slightly shocked at how croaky her voice really is as she talks. “Time to wake up.”

Sooyoung kneels on the floor and pulls back the sliding door to Yongsun’s room before entering. She stretches her arms above her head and lets out another huge yawn. Opening the curtains to allow the morning sun to light up the princess’ quarters, she then turns towards the bed and nearly trips over her own feet. 

The princess is not there. The bed is still neatly done. Yongsun never slept here last night. 

The handmaiden panicked and bolted for the door. She was just about to call for a guard or two before she ran into the older princess, Yonghee, in the corridor. 

“Your highness!” Sooyoung gasped out. “I think Yongsun’s gone missing.”

“What?” Yonghee asked, her husband looking on in interest from behind her. 

The handmaiden took a few deep breaths before elaborating, “Yongsun didn’t sleep in her bed last night. I’m worried that somethings happened to her.”

Yonghee held Sooyoung’s shoulders and shook her slightly. “Go back into my sisters room and wait in there. I have a feeling I know where she is.”

Sooyoung nodded her head and bowed as Yonghee swept past her. She crept back inside the younger princess’ room and paced backwards and forwards trying to relieve herself of some of this pent up anxiety. 

Yonghee sighed as she halted her entourage and ordered them to meet her in the dining halls after she’s found her sister. The last thing she wants or needs is to find out where Yongsun’s save haven is. Then they’d never stop bugging the queen to be again. 

The air was strangely warm as she ascended the staircase that lead to the roof of the palace. Springtime in the kingdom was always a glorious sight to behold for those in the palace. Flowers bloomed, tree’s were once again colourful and one could sit outside all day with a book without being uncomfortable. 

She’s sure Yongsun is up here. The younger omega only ever escapes to her little gazebo whenever things get too much for her. Tutors and nanny’s used to chase her all over the palace but Yongsun was always one step ahead of them. 

Only herself and Hyejin knew about this place. Even Sooyoung was never allowed the privilege of knowing of its existence. Yongsun was always worried that the nanny’s and the tutor’s would grind an answer out of the handmaiden whenever Yongsun would go missing, so thought it best not to tell her. 

As soon as Yonghee made it to the roof, she turned right immediately and spotted the gazebo.... and something else that she didn’t bargain for. 

“Yongsun!” The older sibling shrieked and covered her eyes. 

The outburst caused the alpha and the omega within the confines of the gazebo to break apart suddenly and use any blankets available to cover themselves up. 

“Yonghee, what are you doing here?” Yongsun yelled angrily at her sister. “Go away!”

With her eyes still covered, Yonghee replied, “Excuse me! Your handmaiden is looking for you! She was close to calling the guards to search the whole palace for you.” 

“Oh, right.” Yongsun stuttered. “Will you tell her that I’ll be along shortly?” 

Yonghee nodded her head and lowered her hand. She could smell something strange in the air. She put it down to her sister and the alpha’s activities that she interrupted. The visible marks on her sisters neck, however, made her curious. 

“What’s that?” She asked, blatantly pointing at Yongsun’s neck. 

The younger princess’ eyes widened and her face became a rather deep shade of red. She brought a hand up to cover the marks on her neck but at the last second changed her mind and let her hand fall back into her lap. She was proud of the marks on her neck, she refused to cover them up in the presence of anyone, even her sister. 

Yonghee could spy the defiant look within her sisters eyes and chose to scan the alpha for any similar marks. It would have been easy if it weren’t for the fact that the alpha was hiding underneath the blankets. 

“What are you doing?” She heard Yongsun whisper. 

“I figured if she couldn’t see me, she might just go away.” Byul shrugged and made no attempt to move under the blankets. 

Yongsun sighed and pinched the alpha until she emerged from the safe silky shield of the blankets. She smiled sheepishly at the older princess and gulped when Yonghee’s eyes narrowed at her. 

“You marked each other?” Yonghee asked. Her voice sounded so neutral that Yongsun couldn’t decipher whether or not she was disappointed. 

“We did.” The younger omega was surprised at how confident she sounded. 

Yonghee analysed them both for nearly a minute and Yongsun found herself fidgeting under her sisters gaze. That is, until her sister’s face broke out into a grin and she skipped towards them. 

“I’m really happy for you.” She said, the joy in her voice not wavering for a second. “I knew there was something going on with you two that reigned deeper than just you helping each other out.” 

“Thank you.” Yongsun felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders upon hearing that her sister approves of her and Byul. “It means a lot knowing that you support us.” 

“I do support you both. But, Byul?” The alpha lifted her head up at the mention of her name. “You mess with her in any way, shape or form, you know what will happen to you?”

Byul visibly gulped. Nodding dumbly she croaked, “Yes. Beheading.” She clutched at her neck as she spoke. 

Yonghee smirked and turned around. “Get dressed and head back to your quarters. Sooyoung is worried.” 

The two lovers looked at one another as the older omega headed towards the stairs to go back into the palace. All it took was for Yongsun to bite her lip and Byul all but jumped back on her. 

“Can you two at least wait until I’ve left the fucking roof?” They heard Yonghee complain from behind them. 

________________

After getting a few curious stares from guards and servants, both Yongsun and Byul made it safely inside the princess’ bedroom. 

Sooyoung was too busy running around the room to notice anything different with the alpha and omega. She muttered continuously under her breath at how irresponsible it was for the future queen to go missing but the couple ignored her and opted to lie next to one another on Yongsun’s huge bed. 

Byul held Yongsun’s right hand tightly in her left as the princess used her free hand to massage the alpha’s forehead. The thief could feel her eyelids getting heavier and heavier until she fell asleep. 

The princess giggled quietly at the alpha. Byul’s hand slacked and Yongsun was able to take her hand away. She stood up and stretched her arms above her head. She jumped slightly when she heard her handmaidens voice, Yongsun genuinely forgot the omega was still in her room. 

“You’ve got a busy day today.” Sooyoung picked up two dresses and held them up. “This one is for the day and this one is for the night.” 

The two dresses were both absolutely beautiful in their own right. The first one was a stunning midnight blue that covered her shoulders and fitted to her figure almost perfectly. The second one was a traditional hwarot. The princess’ would often wear a hwarot during the second night of the festival. This one was a collection of reds, whites and yellows with a few splashes of blue and colourful flower patterns on the large sleeves and on the front of the clothing itself. This particular hwarot has been passed down in the Kim family for generations. Only to be worn during the festival to preserve it. 

Byul, on the other hand, only had to wear one outfit throughout the day. The alpha was to wear a black hanbok with white baji’s underneath and a black gat on her head to finish off the look. 

Yongsun eyed the clothes lazily draped against the chair near her bed and then eyed the alpha. Her clothes were that easy to put on and take off that the princess was genuinely jealous of her mate. 

Pulling at the back of the dress, Sooyoung tutted at the princess for taking so long to get undressed. As soon as the dress reached the floor a mysterious scent hit her like a tonne of bricks. 

“What’s that smell?” She asked. 

Yongsun shrugged and moved away from her handmaidens questioning gaze. “Did you run me a bath?” She asked ignoring Sooyoung’s initial question. 

The handmaiden nodded slowly as her eyes danced over all the marks that adorned the princess’ torso. “Yes, but it may not be as hot as you usually like it.” 

“It’s okay.” Yongsun flicked her wrist. 

Sooyoung watched as the princess disappeared behind the bathroom door. She could still smell the scent, maybe not as strong, but it was still there. Her head turned towards the alpha snoozing away on the princess’ expensive silk sheets and she tiptoed her way towards her. 

She pulled back the collar of the shirt the alpha was wearing and spied mating bite marks on her neck. Gasping, Sooyoung recoiled in surprise as her back hit a table causing a vase to tumble but thankfully not smash. 

The omega felt foolish for thinking that the princess didn’t want Byul. She was honestly just taken in by the alpha’s warm and inviting scent but now she was disgusted by it. Not because it’s vile, but because it smells like another omega. 

Shaking her head, Sooyoung grabbed a towel from the side and headed towards the bathroom to assist the princess. Yongsun was lounging in the small tub when the handmaiden entered. Sooyoung could spy the exact same mating marks on Yongsun’s neck and stared at them with her mouth wide open. 

“If the wind changes, your face will stay like that.” Yongsun said emotionlessly. 

“I’m sorry, Yongsun.” Sooyoung bowed her head and went to stand alongside the tub. 

The princess smiled up at her. “It’s okay. You want to ask me something, right?”

Sooyoung nodded. “Yes, Yongsun.” She sank down to her knees so that they were eye level. “Your neck....” She trailed off as she pointed to Yongsun’s marks. 

“Byul and I marked each other last night.” Yongsun reminisced dreamily. 

“She marked you?”

“Yes?”

“But what will the king say?”

Yongsun huffed and splashed some water at her handmaiden. “Quite frankly I don’t care. I love Byul and Byul loves me. In my mind we are both equal, so why not prove it by marking each other so?” 

“I just don’t want to see you get hurt.” Sooyoung mumbled under her breath. 

The princess reached across and used one of her hands to cradle the other omega’s cheek. “Thank you.” She smiled at Sooyoung. “This bath is freezing cold.”

“Well it would have been hot had you been in your bedroom this morning instead of gallivanting all over the palace with alpha’s.” Sooyoung huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. 

“It wasn’t alpha’s! It was a alpha. Singular. And you know what?” Yongsun waited until she got a hum from Sooyoung before continuing, “I’d do it again!” 

They both fell into a humorous chatter after that. Sooyoung tried to get any juicy details on the alpha from Yongsun, but the princess was as secretive as always. She gave up in the end and began running a bath for Byul. Luckily with her being an alpha, the bath didn’t need to be as hot as Yongsun’s and it was done within minutes. 

As Byul splashed about in the bath and made as much noise and mess as humanly possible, Yongsun was being helped into her blue dress for the days festivities. 

The days activities were filled with wine tastings, a social gathering during a sports game and then a horse race. 

Yongsun had to rip Byul’s wine glass out of her hands after she realised that the alpha was drinking the wine and not spitting it out into their bucket like she was supposed to. Byul started to become a little bit tipsy and unfortunately tipsy Byul was overly friendly and louder than usual. Yongsun considered throwing a bucket of water over the alpha but quickly dismissed the thought as it would have ruined Byul’s outfit. 

The silent whispers from the wine tasting became full blown conversations during the sports game they were forced to watch. Yongsun could hear them talking about the mark that hung from her neck, but she paid them no mind. Instead she clung onto Byul’s arm tighter and grinned when the alpha’s eyes reflected the same love and respect that she felt in her heart. 

Yongsun’s horse came in second place during the race and it came as a huge surprise to the princess, mainly because she wasn’t aware that she had a horse. The little blue ribbon that was given to her made her beam like an idiot. Byul, still slightly drunk, ran over to her and enveloped her in a hug. 

The king watched on in disgust as he, and his entire court, watched their public display of affection up close. He glanced around and noted how many disapproving shakes of the head his daughter got. Too many. 

He nodded his head at his guard, Youngho, and motioned for him to follow the young couple. 

Nighttime came around extremely fast and the sky had already began to light up. Amazing flashes of yellow, green and orange soared through the sky as the sun went down and the moon came up. 

Yongsun took nearly an hour to get dressed into her hwarot. There were so many things that needed tightening, her make up needed to be perfect and her head piece needed to be in place before they could head down to the make shift arena towards the east of the palace. 

The princess began to panic as her guards took her and Byul to the arena. She hadn’t told the alpha about the fights. As shameful as it sounds, she honestly had forgotten about it. Even Yonghee mentioned it to them when they had their dinner together and it still slipped her mind. 

She stopped. They had to turn back. She couldn’t expose Byul to the cruelty that the king fondly talked about. A tug on the arm from her alpha made her traitorous feet continue down the beaten path to the arena. 

“Are you okay?” Byul whispered across to her with concern lacing her voice. 

“Byul we need to go back to the palace.” Yongsun was shaking. 

The alpha nodded her head and turned them around. Youngho stepped out in front of them and blocked their path. 

“Your highness, the arena is that way.” He pointed ahead of himself. 

“I suddenly don’t feel well and I wish to return to my quarters.” Yongsun held a hand over her stomach to emphasise her illness. 

A voice from behind Youngho halted everyone in their tracks. The king emerged from the darkness, dressed in a red hanbok with a black gat on his head, and smiled at his daughter. 

“Yongsun, you’ll be fine.” He waved his hand dismissively towards her. “You can have some water when you enter the arena and you’ll feel better.” 

Yongsun shook her head violently. “No, I really must-“

SMACK. 

The king slapped her. 

Her cheek stung badly. She was sure that the handprint upon her face was there instantly. She felt Byul move in front of her, but stopped her with a hand to the alpha’s chest. 

Byul glared defiantly at the king who met her gaze. No one in this kingdom has ever dared to look at the king with even the slightest bits of displeasure, let alone full on glaring at him like this alpha is doing. Byul’s breathing became heavy and erratic as she tried and failed to calm herself down. 

“Go.” The king ordered. “Go to the arena and watch the fucking fights.” 

He brushed past them and ordered Youngho to follow him. The guard bowed and hurried after his king. He spared no glances to the princess or her alpha as he ran ahead of the king. 

“Yongsun.” Byul turned to the princess and inspected her face. There was an angry red mark across the left side of Yongsun’s face. 

The omega blinked back a few tears that stung her eyes. “It’s okay.” She said as her bottom lip began quivering. Never before had the king laid a finger on her. In fact, if anyone so much as touched Yongsun (or Yonghee for that matter) they’d be sent to the gallows. 

Byul almost growled at the back of the king. Her anger was threatening to over boil. The slap replayed behind the alpha’s eyelids over and over again whenever she’d do so much as blink.

The rest of the walk towards the arena was solemn. No guard dared to even breath heavily. Byul was busy imagining all the wonderful ways to murder the king and Yongsun was still in shock. She held a hand over her cheek the entire walk over. 

Suddenly the colours in the sky faded. No one paid much attention to it as it was too early for the lights to properly take their places in the heavens, but those who did see them fade were slightly worried that they may never come back. 

Yongsun was stationed in a balcony to the right of the kings with Yonghee and her husband to the left. There was only one chair so Byul stood next to the omega. The mood was still an angry one, especially whenever the king would look over to them. 

Music sounded from the royal band and a small figure was thrown into the middle of the arena. He was skinny, probably malnourished, tall and scared. Very scared in fact. 

Byul studied him for a few seconds before a gate opened opposite to where the boy was and a cage was wheeled inside the arena. The alpha suddenly remembered what Yonghee said about being thrown into fight the tigers. 

She stepped forward, ready to either scream out for them to stop or to jump down and save the lad, but a hand on her wrist pulled her backwards. 

“Byul you have to stay still.” Yongsun said, her voice as small as she felt. 

“Yongsun, you don’t understand!” Byul ripped her hand free from the princess and the omega flinched in return. “I know him.”

Yongsun’s eyes were brimming with unshed tears as she glanced over the barrier and towards the young boy that was shaking in pure terror. She saw as he cowered in fear when the tiger reached through the iron bars of the cage it was trapped in to swipe at the boy. 

“Yongsun, we have to save him.” Byul begged. 

“We can’t.” 

“We can! We just need to think of something.” 

“Byul, we can’t do anything. I wish I could but I can’t.” 

The alpha stood by helplessly as the boys sobs reached her ears. She let out a few tears of her own as she almost blubbered pathetically, “He’s fourteen.” 

Yongsun gasped and covered her mouth. 

“He ran away from home because his parents agreed to sell him to a brothel. He kept sneaking out of the village to meet some beta girl and he must’ve got caught.” Byul chocked back a sob. 

“Byul...” 

“Can I swap places with him? I can fight the evil looking tiger and he can be safe up here with you.” 

Yongsun stood up and hugged the alpha tightly. “No.” She shook her head. “If you go down there and ask to swap, they’ll laugh at you and send you in there with him.” 

“But...”

“Byul, there’s nothing we can do.”

The alpha nodded her head and stood behind Yongsun’s chair as the cage was opened and the boy was killed within seconds. The crowd roared with enthusiasm as another alpha was tossed in, this time the alpha was bigger and more well equipped to defeat the tiger. 

The fact that this alpha has been given a sword and a leather net just haunts Byul more. The kid was never destined to do anything to damage this tiger but be ripped to shreds right in front of these people. 

Yongsun turned to her alpha to see tears streaming down her face as another alpha was killed by this seemingly immortal tiger. She held out her hand and grasped the alpha’s in hers tightly. 

“Don’t look at it.” Yongsun pleaded. 

“I have to.” Byul sobbed. 

“No you don’t.” The princess glanced at her father who was staring back at them in hidden glee as he watched Yongsun’s alpha break down. “Look at me.” Yongsun whispered and turned her head back to Byul. 

Byul did as Yongsun asked and kneeled next to her so that her back was to the king. After a while she rested her head in the princess’ lap and cried. The last time she wept this much was when that beta slave owner came knocking on her family door. 

The fights were over once the tiger was killed. It took nearly fifteen alpha’s to take down the tiger. Blood covered the floor of the arena and dead bodies were littered everywhere. The victorious alpha was sent back to the facility the king bought him from with a champion stamp burned onto his chest. 

More wine was handed out as they all awaited the lights. Yongsun and Byul declined the wine as the colour was nauseating. They just wanted to head back to the safety of Yongsun’s bedroom and call it a night. 

An hour passed by with no sights nor signs of the lights in the sky. 

Two hours, nothing. 

Three. 

Four. 

The king was sweating in his chair. The lights never stopped. The lights were always consistent. They flashed not moments before the fights, they couldn’t have just vanished. 

The people were looking at him expectantly. He was at a loss for words. If there were no lights, it means that the gods were displeased. 

“That fucking alpha.” The king cursed under his breath. 

He stood to attention and held his arms out. His voice boomed around the arena as he spoke. 

“It seems that the gods have forgotten what day it is!” A few laughs followed. “My people, the lack of lights does not mean that the gods are displeased! There must be urgent business in another land that they must take care of. Next year we shall give them more! More lanterns! More sacrifices! More alpha’s for them to do with as they please! Go home, and pray for the prosperity of this kingdom.” 

He waved a hand to Youngho just as he spotted Yongsun and her alpha leave. The guard bowed lowly at his master. 

“Wait until my daughter is close to her quarters and tell her I wish to see her and then take the alpha to a secluded spot and teach her the importance of obedience.”

“Do you want me to kill her?” 

The king whispered his orders into the guards ear and patted him on the shoulder. 

“Yes, your majesty.” Youngho bowed once more before leaving. 

The guard stuck to the shadows as he followed his future queen and her alpha. They walked hand in hand, but there was no conversation coming from either of them. From what Youngho could tell, they were both still shocked by the fights that they witnessed. 

The moment they turned into the princess’ garden, Youngho ran towards them and called the princess’ name. 

“Yes?” She asked and turned around. 

“The king wishes to speak with you urgently.” Youngho bowed to his princess. 

Yongsun sighed but knew better than to refuse an order from the king. With her hand still inside Byul’s, she tugged them back towards where she suspected the king to be. 

“No, your highness,” Youngho held out an arm, “only you. Your guards will escort you back to the king and I shall escort your alpha back to your quarters.”

“I don’t think...” Yongsun trailed off. 

“Your father insists.” The guard pressed. 

“I’ll be okay.” Byul mumbled. Her eyes were still glazed over from the horrors she witnessed. 

With one last worried glance at her alpha, Yongsun surged forward and placed a firm kiss upon Byul’s lips, just to remind Youngho and everyone else of who the alpha belongs to, and headed back to where the king was. 

Byul stared on at the princess’ back until it became basically impossible to make her out in the darkness. Youngho pushed Byul forward and the alpha stumbled over her own feet. 

“Walk.” Youngho demanded. He unsheathed his sword and pointed it at the alpha’s back. 

Byul held her hands up. “Hey, put that away, I’m not here to cause trouble.”

“You’ve already caused it, alpha, walk!” 

Her eyes shifted around and just as she was about to make a break for it, four pairs of hands grabbed at her and dragged her into a secluded part of the princess’ garden. 

“What’s going on?” Byul demanded as she was thrown to the floor. 

“By orders of the king you are to be stripped and beaten within an inch of your life every day until you learn how to be obedient.” Youngho clicked his fingers and his men ripped Byul’s expensive hanbok apart. They threw the gat like a frisbee and laughed when it got stuck up a tree. 

Byul used her arms to protect her head as punches and kicks rained down on her. The hits were powerful and extremely painful and all she could do was lie there and take it. 

A particularly hard kick to the head made the ground spin rapidly. Her arms fell limply and the guards ended their tirade with a strong kick to Byul’s face. 

She could feel blood pour down her face, but she couldn’t steady her hands well enough to feel for it. 

Youngho picked her up bridal style and took her back to the princess’ living quarters. He mumbled something in Byul’s ear before tossing her on the cold hard ground just inside Yongsun’s bedroom. 

Sooyoung, who was sleeping soundly in the next room, bolted up right at the sound of Byul’s lifeless body hitting the floor. She ran inside the princess’ room and found the alpha lying on the floor with blood pouring out of at least three open wounds. 

Luckily, the alpha wasn’t too heavy. Sooyoung hoisted her up and brought her to the princess’ bathroom. She placed her gently on a mat on the floor before pouring the alpha a bath. 

She looked over at Byul’s wounds and noted that they were all on her head. The handmaiden called for a guard to fetch a healer as quickly as possible before gently placing Byul in the bathtub. 

The alpha groaned but did not open her eyes, Sooyoung wasn’t sure whether or not she could actually open them. One seemed swollen shut. 

“Byul, can you hear me?” Sooyoung soothingly asked. 

The alpha nodded her head slightly and winced in pain. 

“What happened?” The handmaiden tried to press her for an answer but the alpha shrugged. 

“Why on earth have you called for me in the middle of the damn night?” Yerim, one of the palaces healers complained as she entered the princess’ bathroom. 

“Something has happened to the princess’ alpha.” Sooyoung panicked as she pointed down at Byul. 

Yerim quickly made her way over to them and gasped at the sight of the alpha. She mumbled a few things under her breath before sprinting out from the bathroom. She returned mere minutes later with all sorts of balms and bandages. 

“Let her soak for a while.” Yerim instructed. “Her muscles will heal better with the hot water. As soon as she’s out, I’ll close the wounds on her face and then rub this on the bruises so the swelling will go down fast.” 

Sooyoung nodded and tried to wake the alpha up. She had an arm under Byul as she held her above the water, but her arm was becoming painfully uncomfortable. 

“Byul!” A voice called from the bedroom. “God you wouldn’t believe what that annoying, pigheaded...” she trailed off when she entered the bathroom and saw Byul’s face. 

Yongsun screamed and ran towards the bathtub. She almost pushed Sooyoung out of the way as she held onto Byul’s shoulders and pleaded at her to wake up. 

Byul’s left eye opened half way, but her right eye felt as though it was glued shut. 

“Hello.” Byul greeted and tried to smile at her omega. 

“Byul what happened? Who did this to you? Was it Youngho? I’ll kill the bastard!” Yongsun yelled angrily. 

“It’s okay.” Byul slurred her words. “It’s my fault for not being obedient enough.”

Yongsun shook her head as angry hot tears streamed down her cheeks and ruined her make up. “Don’t you dare blame yourself!”

“The king wanted to kill me.”

“I’ll kill him if he comes near you again!” 

“The guards said there’s only one reason as to why they didn’t kill me.”

“What’s that?”

Byul lifted her head up and the room span rapidly around her. She fought against the painful pounding of her brain and pointed at Yongsun’s neck. 

“He won’t kill me because I marked you as mine and only mine.”

“Oh, Byul...”

“You’ve saved my life, again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I struggled to write this chapter. Severe case of block. But I got there in the end.
> 
> For those who wanted a few more chapters of them being in love, I'm so sorry. I'm gunna go hide for a while. Hope you enjoyed.


	13. The Arrows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for this chapter involves sadness and violence.

With the help of Sooyoung and Yerim, Yongsun eventually got Byul’s battered and bruised body dressed in her nighttime wear and tucked into the safety of the princess’ bed. The alpha passed out instantly and put up zero resistance against Yerim when she began to heal the wounds that accumulated on Byul’s face. 

Yongsun’s eyes were red and puffy. Her mind was exhausted from crying over the state she found her alpha in. Her fathers guards could and would have killed her alpha all because they deemed her not obedient enough. She grew more and more agitated and angry the more she thought about it. Who were they to criticise Byul? How dare they lay a finger on her love. Her fist was shaking and her jaw was clenched as Sooyoung attempted to change the princess’ hawrot into her nighttime wear. 

“She’ll be okay.” Yerim’s soothing voice floated towards her. “Just try and keep an eye on her tonight, though.” 

The princess nodded to the beta medic and watched as she smoothly rubbed a balm onto the bruises that were covering most of Byul’s beautiful face. Another tear fell from Yongsun’s eyes as she watched her sleeping alpha flinch from the contact. 

Sooyoung excused herself along with the beta. Before she left she told the princess that if she needs anything at all, just ring the bell and she’ll come as soon as possible. 

But Yongsun was only half listening. She nodded to them but never looked at them. Instead her gaze was fixed onto the alpha that was whining in her sleep. Yongsun slid beside the alpha and turned on her side to face her. More angry tears leaked from the omega’s eyes as her mind imagined the scenario of Youngho pushing Byul to the floor and beating her like an animal. 

Just like Byul did for Yongsun, Yongsun did for Byul. She forced herself to stay awake and watch over her alpha. Every few hours she would check to make sure the alpha was still breathing and even rubbed some more balm that Yerim left onto the bruises that littered Byul’s face. 

The sun was poking out from the mountains to the east, but Yongsun paid it no mind. Her gaze, as it was all night, was focused on Byul and Byul only. She noticed that a lot of the swelling had gone down and the bruises were fading fast. Whatever Yerim had given her worked like a charm. 

Byul mumbled a lot in her sleep and Yongsun was worried that the alpha was having nightmares. She leaned over and planted a soft kiss on Byul’s uninjured cheek before sending out soothing pheromones for the alpha. It seemed to do the trick as Byul’s mumbling ceased. 

“I’m sorry.” Yongsun whispered softly as fresh tears fell from her eyes. “I promised to protect you and I failed.” 

Every time the princess’ eyes scanned the bruising around the alpha’s face, she cried a little more. She promised Byul that she would keep the alpha safe. She assured the alpha that the king would not interfere with them. The king doesn’t interfere with Yonghee and her verbally abusive husband so she genuinely did not think he’d interfere with her and her confident alpha. 

Byul groaned slightly and opened her eyes. Her left eye opened perfectly but her right only opened slightly. Yongsun was relieved that Byul could open it at all considering the state it was in last night. 

“Morning.” Byul tried to say but her voice was hoarse and her throat felt like sand paper so it came out as more of just a noise than an actual greeting. 

More tears made tracks down the omega’s cheeks as she leaned in and gave Byul’s lips a peck. The alpha tried to hide the painful grimace from her face as her lips stung, but Yongsun caught it. 

“How are you feeling?” Yongsun asked as she handed Byul a glass of water. 

The alpha gulped most of the soothing liquid down and tried to flash a humorous smile. “My face hurts, but I reckon I’m still very attractive.” She attempted to chuckle but an almighty cough wracked through her body and a small amount of dried blood was coughed up into her hand. 

“I’m sorry.” Yongsun repeated her apology that fell on deaf ears before. “I shouldn’t have left you alone with my fathers personal guard.”

“It’s okay.” Byul licked her dry lips. “Did you sleep?” 

The princess shook her head. “I couldn’t. Not when you were in that state.”

“Thank you.” Byul whispered and scooted closer to the omega on the bed. “For watching over me last night.” 

“I should have watched over you better, I-“

“Yong.” The alpha softly interrupted. “How were you to know that the king would send out guards to attack me? How were you to know that Youngho was untrustworthy? How could you have known what would have happened? I don’t blame you and I don’t want you to blame yourself.”

The omega nodded but couldn’t stop the tears from leaking out and staining her pillows. Byul reached across and swiped at them with the her thumb. Placing her hand at the back of the princess’ head, she pulled her closer and placed the softest kiss she could muster onto Yongsun’s own plump lips. 

When they pulled apart not a second later, the alpha sighed and cleared her throat. “Yongsun, I have to go home today.” 

Yongsun’s eyes widened and her mouth opened and closed as she tried to comprehend what Byul was saying. All she was able to say, however, was; “Why?”

“If I don’t go back to the village today, Wheein will take my sisters and leave,” Not entirely a lie, Byul wasn’t sure whether Wheein would actually take Seulgi and Yesol to live with Hyejin or if she’d go through with the original plan and set sail to Japan, “I have to go back and make sure that they don’t leave.” 

“But, Byul, you can’t leave. Not in your condition, anyway. What if you don’t make it back? What if you collapse?”

Byul chuckled slightly at the worried look on Yongsun’s face. “I’ve been in worse conditions than this before. I was once beaten ten times worse than this when I was fourteen and I still stole that guy’s goat and his money pouch and made it home before nightfall.” 

“I don’t want you to go.” The princess sobbed. 

“I have to go, my sisters need me.” 

That seemed to do the trick as the princess nodded her head in agreement. Turning, she dragged herself out of bed and hurried to the other side to assist Byul. The alpha smirked at the omega and accepted the help from her. Yongsun guided the alpha towards the mirror that was attached to her make up station. 

The alpha gasped at the sight of her face. The right side of her face was purple with bruises covering nearly every piece of skin, her eye was swollen and her eyeball was blood red. Her nose, although thankfully not broken, had dried blood underneath her nostrils and her lips were cut. 

“They did that to me?” Byul asked her reflection. 

Yongsun, who was stood just behind the alpha with her hands on Byul’s shoulders, nodded sadly. “Yes. Why didn’t you fight back?” 

“I’m not much of a fighter.” The alpha shrugged. “It was five against one, anyway. If I would have fought back, they’d have only kicked me harder.” 

“Let’s get you dressed.” Yongsun pulled the alpha away from the mirror and towards the closets where she hid Byul’s normal clothes. 

The omega helped the alpha out of her nighttime wear and couldn’t help but stare at the bruises and bumps that were ruining Byul’s usually perfect chest and shoulders. The alpha blushed under the gaze from her omega. She was embarrassed at how broken her body looked and how weak the guards made her feel. 

Yongsun shook her head and handed the chest wrap to her alpha. Byul groaned and winced as she tied the wrap and bound her chest tightly. 

“Why do you do that?” Yongsun asked and pointed at the cotton wrap. 

Byul smirked, “You have any idea how annoying it is running and climbing with an unbound chest? Breasts bouncing in every direction. It hurts too.” 

The omega rolled her eyes and handed Byul’s shirt back to her. The oversized piece of clothing made Byul’s small body look even smaller. The perfectly fitted clothes she’s worn for the past few days made Yongsun forget how small Byul’s body actually was. 

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” The princess asked as Byul pulled on her pants and slipped her shoes back on. 

“I’ll be fine.” Byul dismissed the omega with a wave of her hand. “I’ll come back tomorrow.” Byul reassured her and clasped their hands together. “I promise.” 

Yongsun looked down at their hands and stepped closer to the alpha. She rested her head on the alpha’s shoulder and took in a huge breath of the alpha’s scent. 

“You’d better come back.” Yongsun could feel herself chocking up again. “I’ll run to that alpha camp like a banshee if you don’t come back tomorrow.” 

Byul laughed and pulled back only to rest their foreheads together. The pressure of Yongsun’s forehead against hers was painful, but Byul refused to acknowledge the pain. Instead she leaned in and kissed Yongsun as passionately as she could given the state of her lips. 

“You’ll see me tomorrow, I promise.” Byul said once they broke apart. 

“Byul, if you don’t go now, I won’t let you leave.” A few fresh tears made more tracks down the princess’ face and the alpha wiped them away just as she did before. 

Byul placed one last longing kiss on Yongsun’s lips before pulling away from the omega. She headed to the balcony and climbed over the side. Yongsun followed her and watched as she began to descend the palace walls. 

“I love you.” Yongsun whispered into the cold morning air. 

She wasn’t sure if the alpha could hear her but she had to say it. 

“I love you too.” Yongsun barely caught the reply. Her heart was beating so fast that it obscured her hearing, but thankfully she heard her alpha’s reply over the rapid beating of her heart. 

_________________

Byul did indeed made it back to the village. Albeit on shaky legs and taking a few detours, but she still made it. By the time she made it down the well and outside of the kingdom walls, the sun was fully up and shining on her. Clouds passed by, but refused to cover the suns strong rays. 

She waved a signal towards the hidden archers within the tree line and headed deep inside the camp. The alpha’s were all huddled around the camp’s fire and scoffing their faces full of whatever meal Joohyun had made and gossiping like little children about the lights that never appeared last night. 

Byul wanted to slip passed unnoticed. She didn’t really want the whole camp to see the state that her face was in. She was their unofficial guardian, their designated leader, how could she show her battered and bruised face in front of these people? They thought she was invincible. Untouchable. But it turns out that was just a myth, a now broken myth. 

Unfortunately Wheein spotted her quickly rushing to their home and she yelled out the alpha’s name. Byul froze on the spot. There was too many things that happened over the past few days that she had to explain. Yongsun and her mark, the king, the fights, the lights and the beating from the kings guards. 

The whole camp turned to the thief, who had her back to them, and cheered her return. Seulgi and Yesol hopped down from their places next to Wheein and Joohyun respectfully and ran towards their sister. 

“Byul!” They yelled together. 

The alpha in question swallowed the lump that was bobbing up and down her throat and turned towards the alpha’s and her two omega sisters. Seulgi and Yesol stopped dead in their tracks at the sight of their sister and instead approached her slowly. The other alpha’s were stunned into silence, their once powerful unofficial leader now looked broken and weak. 

Yesol was the first to fully approach Byul and wrapped her arms around the alpha’s waist. The youngest omega had tears in her eyes as she looked at the state Byul was in. 

“What happened?” Seulgi asked as she also wrapped her arms around the alpha. 

Byul shook her head and told both girls to go back into their home and wait for her there. Both omega’s eyed each other skeptically before nodding to the alpha and running off back to their home. Once the door was fully closed with no peeping omega’s, Byul turned to the alpha’s. 

They looked at her expectantly. Their gazes were still the same as they were before she left for the festival. They still admired her. Byul sucked in a shaky breath and stood on a nearby table so she could properly address the village. 

“Alpha’s, over the past two days I have witnessed so many disgusting atrocities against our people,” Byul started, her voice as powerful as usual, “I have seen what the king deems as entertainment! He throws us to the tigers and sits there stuffing his fat face and drinking the finest imported wine money can buy!” 

The alpha’s were all hooked on Byul’s speech, no one dared to make a sound, no one even dared to breathe too heavily. 

“I was beaten for not being obedient enough.” She pointed to her face. “And the king promised that I’d be beaten every day until I turned into one of those brainless alpha’s he has roaming around the palace. 

“During my time in the palace I’ve bonded with the princess and the heir to the throne, Kim Yongsun. We’re together as one in the most intimate way possible,” Byul pulled the collar of her shirt to the side and proudly displayed the princess’ marks that were still healing on her neck, “and she’s agreed to free us once she becomes the queen.”

Wheein was the first to break the alpha’s silence, “Byul, you let Yongsun mark you?” She was as astonished as the rest of them. 

Byul glanced at her best friend and smiled. “I love her.” She said simply. “And she loves me.” 

“But, you said you’d never let anyone mark you!” Wheein spluttered, “You said a mark is a sign of ownership and you’d never let yourself be owned by anyone.” 

“I know.” Byul nodded her head. “I have marked Yongsun in the exact same way as she has done to me.” 

A few alpha’s gasped. One yelled out, “You marked the princess? Did she let you? Isn’t that illegal?” 

“I did.” Byul answered. “She wanted me to mark her. In fact, it was her idea.” 

If any alpha amongst them doubted Byul, those doubts were surely wiped away now. Their leader staked a claim on the future queen. The future queen was going to free them. Byul found a way to free them without sacrificing anyone or anything. 

“I must confess that I cannot wait until Yongsun is queen to fight for our freedom.” Byul continued. “Yesterday I saw fifteen alpha’s brutally ripped to pieces by a vicious tiger in front of thousands of cheering omega’s, all in the name of entertainment. Can you guess what happened after the fights?”

The alpha’s murmured with one another but couldn’t answer Byul’s question. 

“There were no lights!” The unofficial alpha leader yelled. “The gods were displeased by the king and his thirst for alpha blood! The kingdom is in disarray. The people think that the gods have abandoned them. We must show them that the gods are on our side and not the kings!” 

“How do we do that?” Yoon shouted out from his spot a few meters away. 

Byul grinned, “We march into the kingdom and peacefully demand our freedom. We tell the alpha’s that are still locked up in the shackles of slavery to follow us to the palace and any omega or beta that agrees with our demand for freedom.” 

“How will we get in? We can’t all come up through the well, it would take hours and we can’t exactly walk in through the front gate because we don’t have any identification.” Joohyun piped up. 

“We could kill the guards.” Yoon suggested. 

“No!” Byul yelled and shook her head. “We cannot afford for anyone to get hurt otherwise we’ll be burying our cause in the ground next to our own graves.” 

Yoon shrugged his shoulders visibly, “Then, what do you suggest?” 

“Bribery.” Byul said simply. “I have enough gold and with your soju we can easily bribe them to look the other way.” 

“When do we march?” Heeyeon asked. 

Byul took a deep breath. “Tomorrow. We march at dawn.” 

_________________

“Byul, are you sure you want to do this?” Wheein whispered across to the older alpha later that night. 

The village were celebrating with Yoon’s soju and Joohyun’s wonderful stew. They danced around the fire and sang as loud as they could. Byul had given them more and more hope with each and every word she spoke earlier and now that night was upon them, they celebrated the possibility of freedom. 

“Yes.” Byul nodded. Yesol was fast asleep in her lap snoring away loudly and Seulgi was lay with her head on one of Wheein’s legs and snoring just as loudly as her younger sister. 

“But, Byul, please think this over.” Wheein pleaded. “If we march to the palace, are these two coming with us? Or are we leaving them? What if we don’t come back? Have you thought about them at all?”

Byul snapped loudly, “Of course I have!” Luckily she didn’t wake the two sleeping girls. “And Wheein, you’re not marching with us.”

“What do you mean? This is my fight too! Of course I’m marching with you.”

“No.” The older alpha shook her head. “This could end badly so I want you to take the money and take everything that links you and the girls to this place and I need you to go to Hyejin.”

“Hyejin? What?”

Byul sighed. “I took a detour to her home before I came here. I woke her up. Did you know she sleeps in the nude? Because I do now.” 

Wheein couldn’t help the strike of jealousy that hit her at the thought of Byul stumbling in Hyejin’s private bedroom whilst the omega was naked. 

“Anyway.” Byul rolled her eyes at the glare Wheein flashed her way. “I spoke to her briefly about my plan and made her promise not to tell Yongsun and she agreed to shelter you and the two girls in her home.” 

“Can’t the girls stay with Hyejin and I come with you?” The younger alpha pleaded. The fight for freedom was her fight as well as any other alpha’s, she needed to help in any way, shape or form. 

Byul shook her head. “Wheein if you get caught they will send you back to that brothel. I can’t do this without knowing that you’re somewhere safe with my sisters.” 

The older alpha could see the flashbacks dance behind Wheein’s eyes as memory after memory of her in that place hit her. She shuddered visibly and a single tear leaked from her eye. Eventually Wheein nodded and agreed to Byul’s plan. 

“Please don’t die.” Wheein begged. 

“I won’t.” Byul smiled reassuringly. 

__________________

Byul, like every other alpha in the village, suffered from a sleepless night. Tossing and turning for hours to no avail, she eventually gave up and headed outside. The sun was shyly hiding behind the grey clouds and tried to light up the village. 

Joohyun was spotted by the river with a huge empty net in one hand and a stick in the other. Byul glanced around before making her way towards the older alpha. 

“Fucking, stupid, fucking thing!” Joohyun cursed under her breath as she tried to untangle the net with one hand and keep a firm hold on the stick with the other. 

“Let me help you.” Byul grabbed onto the stick just as Joohyun let go. 

“Thanks.” Joohyun mumbled as she finally untangled the net and cast it back out into the lake. 

Byul looked behind them at the four wooden crates fully packed with all sorts of fish and sea creatures. She didn’t even know that there were that many fish that meandered up and down their river. 

“It’s a lot, right?” Joohyun laughed. “I’ve never even seen that many fish before, let alone caught that many!” 

“It’s a sign.” Byul grinned. “The gods are on our side, Joohyun.” 

The older alpha smiled back. “They certainly want us to be well fed for our march today, anyway.” 

Byul chuckled warmly back as she caught a fish with the stick she was holding. With the help of Joohyun, they pulled as hard as they could until a whopper of a fish was pulled out and both alpha’s landed on their behinds roughly. They looked at one another and grinned as they pulled it off the floor and onto a wooden table. 

They skinned the fish in silence, opting instead to listen to the small waves of the river and the birds chirping overhead. Joohyun was nearly ten times faster than Byul was, but the younger alpha just rolled her eyes at the skills of the older and kept going at her own pace. 

After a while, Byul spoke up. 

“I met your son.” She whispered. 

Joohyun almost chopped her thumb off in surprise at what Byul randomly said. 

“What?” She put the knife down and turned to the other alpha. 

Byul smiled at her and kept skinning the fish. “Daehyun. I met him.” She repeated. “He looks exactly like you and smells like you too.” 

“He does?” Joohyun grinned though tear soaked eyes. “How’s my Seulgi? Did she look happy? Tired? Hyejin tells me she’s looking a lot happier since she found out that I was still alive.” 

“She’s okay. She was laughing and joking with Hyejin when I saw her.” Byul narrowly missed cutting her finger off when her hand slipped. “She misses you terribly. All she wants is for you to meet Daehyun.” 

“I wish I could.” Joohyun shrugged. “But I can’t show my face anywhere near her family home.” 

Byul put the knife down and handed her last fish to Joohyun. “You can.” She said simply. 

“I very much beg your pardon?”

“Go with Wheein and my sisters instead of joining me on the march.” Byul shrugged. “Seulgi and Daehyun will be with Hyejin today and if you escape with Wheein, you’ll meet your son.” 

“Byul...”

“Think about it.” Byul patted the older alpha’s shoulder just as the village began waking up and heading towards them in the hopes of an early breakfast. “You don’t have to, but you should think about it.”

Byul left a gaping Joohyun behind her as she walked, for possibly the last time, into her home to wake up Wheein and the two omega children. All three groaned and moaned, but eventually they all woke up and went outside in search of food. 

By the time they were ready to take to the streets of the kingdom, the sun was fully up and still completely covered by greying clouds. Yoon and Chuyoung were the first to leave the camp with a cart full of barrels of soju and pouches full of gold for the guards. 

Byul walked Wheein, Joohyun and her two sisters to the tunnel that lead inside the kingdom. She gave Joohyun a hug before turning to Wheein and was jumped on by the smaller alpha. Wheein couldn’t help the tears that leaked from her eyes at the thought of never seeing her best friend again. Byul didn’t even bother to hide her own tears and let them run freely down her face. She left a longing kiss on the younger alpha’s forehead before turning to her sisters. 

“You two be good!” She warned as she sank to her knees. 

Both omega’s nodded worriedly at her and engulfed her in the tightest hug that they could manage. 

“You’ll come and get us, right?” Yesol asked. 

“Of course.” Byul tried not to lie, she wanted to stay optimistic. “I’ll come for you as soon as everything is over, I promise.” 

“We’ll only be with Lady Ahn for a few days, right?” Seulgi asked after not completely believing Byul. 

Byul nodded. “You’ll stay Lady Ahn’s until I come for you.” She let out a shaky breath. “Please be good for Wheein and Hyejin. They’ll tell me if you’re naughty.” 

“We promise.” They both said together as they hugged Byul one last time. The alpha planted a kiss on each of their foreheads before standing up and ushering them into the tunnel. 

Wheein took a few steps in, stopped and turned back to her best - and for a long time her only - friend. 

“Don’t you dare die on us.” Wheein warned as she wrapped her arms back around Byul’s shoulders. “The king is powerful, if you’re willing to question his leadership and his laws, he can kill you.” 

“I will not die today.” Byul cradled the younger alpha’s head between her hands. “I can promise you that.” 

“After all these years, I can well believe that you’re actually immortal.” Wheein chuckled sadly as she turned back to the other three and ran down the tunnel. 

Byul watched as they disappeared down the tunnel and possibly out of her life forever. She wiped away a few stray tears and made her way back to the rest of the alpha’s. Taking a deep breath she yelled as loud as she could for them to march into the kingdom. They cheered and began following Byul, who was a good three or four meters ahead of them. 

When they approached the gates, they faced no obstructions. The guards waved them in with a stumble and a lazy flick of their wrists. Yoon laughed as he caught up with Byul and explained that the guards couldn’t wait to down the soju he gave them. 

Eyes followed them with interest as a hoard of alpha’s descended into the kingdom. Byul looked around and spotted broken alpha’s lying on the streets covered in their own filth and waiting for death to come for them. She sucked in a heavy breath and her voice boomed around the area. 

“Alpha’s! We have come to demand freedom from slavery!” She watched as the alpha’s from the village picked up the alpha’s that were dying on the streets and encouraged them to march with them. 

“If you’re an alpha and you are being continuously abused by omega’s and betas, break away from them and follow us! We will protect you or die trying!” 

The hoard of alpha’s following them grew substantially as Byul continued to tell alpha’s to join. 

“We will not harm anyone!” Byul continued yelling. “We are peaceful. We are unarmed. All we demand is our freedom! Our rights to paid labour! Our rights to fall in love with whomever we want! Our rights to exist!” 

As they approached the palace, Byul noted that even a few omega’s and guards joined in on their protest. 

‘The gods are on my side.’ Byul thought to herself as she pushed on closer to the palace. 

_________________

The king paced around the throne room angrily as his court tried and failed to come up with anything other than poor excuses as to why the gods didn’t bless them at the festival. Some suggested they got the wrong day, others suggested it was the fights, one person even said it was because the king changed the law to make Yongsun the queen instead of Yonghee. 

He picked up a book and threw it at the nearest court member. The book whacked off his head and knocked his gat off. He bowed apologetically and sank to his knees. 

Yongsun stayed quiet during her fathers rant. Instead she thought of all the wonderful things a sword could do against an unarmed king. That thought alone could get Yongsun tried for treason, but the omega didn’t care. She wanted to see her father suffer the same amount of pain as Byul had a few nights ago. 

A guard entered the throne room and fell over his own feet to kneel to the king. 

“What is the meaning of this interruption?” The king yelled and kicked the guard further to the ground. 

“Your majesty, forgive me.” The guard stuttered. “But alpha’s are marching though the kingdom and demanding to see you.” 

“Dirty, fucking alpha’s are demanding to see me?” The king roared. “How dare they. Why aren’t you out there killing them instead of in here telling me?”

The beta guard cowered more. “I’m sorry, your majesty, there’s too many of them and they’ve corralled some guards into joining them.” 

The kings face was red with anger. Yongsun could swear she could see steam coming out of his ears. The message may have angered her father, but it worried Yongsun to no end. Byul wasn’t back in the palace yet and the princess was terrified that she was with the alpha’s that were storming the kingdom. 

“They’re here!” A court official yelled from his place by the window. 

True to the guards word, hundreds, maybe even thousands of alpha’s were at the palace gates and demanding to see the king. At the head of the group stood one lonely alpha. The king scanned her for a few seconds before he realised who it was. 

“Yongsun, isn’t that...” He trailed off as he turned around, but his daughter was no longer there. 

______________

Byul held up her hands in surrender as she got close the the palace gates. The guards pointed their swords at her menacingly but she looked past them and at the palace walls instead. 

“I am unarmed!” She yelled. “I come in peace. This is a peaceful protest against the laws written centuries ago regarding alpha slavery!” 

The alpha’s behind her cheered as more and more people joined the commotion. 

“The gods are unhappy with the king! They shown their displeasure by not blessing us with the lights! There has been a famine on this land for nearly a year that the king has not seen to! The poor within this kingdom are dying more and more with each passing minute because the gods are angry with the king!” 

The guards by the palace gates began slowly lowering their swords and glanced at one another skeptically. 

“On the second day of the festival the king forced a fourteen year old alpha to fight a ferocious tiger with no weapons! He then laughed as that boys body was torn into pieces! He was fourteen!” Byul felt her voice crack and had to clear her throat. 

“Is there any wonder that the gods did not accept our offerings? The gods are by no means perfect, they’ve let a lot of things slide for the past few centuries, but now they’ve sent me to tell you all that they’re angry!”

Just as the words left the alpha’s mouth, a flash of lightening ripped through the clouds and the noise was loud enough to wake the entire kingdom. Everyone that stood with the alpha’s was in awe of Byul. 

“Byul, stop!” A voice from behind the gates pleaded. 

The gates opened and Yongsun sprang out towards the alpha. Byul dropped her arms and held them out to catch Yongsun as the princess jumped onto her. 

“Byul, don’t do this.” Yongsun begged as her arms wrapped tighter around the alpha’s shoulders. 

“I have to, Yongsun.” Byul replied. 

It seemed as though the whole kingdom was watching their exchange with rapt interest. Yongsun pulled back and rested their foreheads together, something that became very intimate between the two of them. 

“I told you that I’ll free you.” Yongsun began to cry. 

Byul nodded. “And you will. But I have to do this first.”

“You just have to wait a few years, Byul! Please.” The princess pleaded. 

“Yongsun, I’d rather die being a free alpha than live my life as a slave.”

“Then we’ll do it together.” 

“Together.” Byul agreed. 

______________

“As soon as my daughter moves away from the alpha, kill it.” The king ordered. 

Youngho nodded and took out his bow and arrow and aimed it at the alpha. 

_______________

Yongsun removed an arm from Byul’s shoulder and used her hand to lift the alpha’s chin up slightly before pressing their lips together in front of the whole kingdom. 

Shocked gasps rang out loudly though the people as they witnessed the princess and heir to the throne in an intimate embrace with the alpha that was leading a rebellion against the king. 

“Stand with me?” Byul asked once they broke apart. 

“I’ll always stand with you.” Yongsun let go of the alpha but kept ahold of her right hand as they stood side by side facing the palace. 

_______________

“Kill it.” The king demanded. 

“But, your majesty-“

“I said kill it!” He smacked Youngho. “Put that fucking alpha down!”

_______________

A whistling sound was heard in the distance but before anyone could have guessed what it was, an arrow pierced through Byul’s skin and sank deep inside her. 

Panic erupted around her as alpha’s, omega’s and beta’s were turning around and running away from the palace to get out of the firing line. 

Another whistling sound was heard and another arrow pierced through Byul like a hot knife through butter. 

The alpha could feel herself being flung to the floor from the impact. The last thing she heard before her head smashed off the ground and rendered her unconscious was Yongsun’s blood curdling scream. 

“BYUL!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Readers like cliffhangers, right? :D
> 
> Byul might die, but on the plus side, the more comments this chapter gets the quicker it'll be updated ;) Yoon isn't the only one who's good at bribery.   
> Hope you enjoyed this anyway! Even if you are mad at me!


	14. The Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for this chapter includes scenes that may make readers feel uncomfortable. But it’s only a light TW. Nothing serious.

“Put her on the bed.” The frantic voice of the younger princess bounced off the walls of her bedroom. 

The guards nodded as per her order but were stopped by Yerim. 

“No, place her on the table.” The small beta woman placed a load of shredded pieces of cloth down on the princess’ bed. 

Yongsun shook her head angrily at the medic as tears continued to make tracks down her face. “No! Put her on the bed!” She ordered her guards.

“Princess, please,” Yerim pleaded, “I need her on a completely flat surface so I can properly examine her.” 

The omega held intense eye contact with the medic for a few seconds before relenting and nodding at her guards. She sank into a nearby chair and watched as Yerim and an alpha from Byul’s village began examining Byul’s small and broken body. Tears continued to leak from the princess’ eyes as her lovers face turned dangerously white. 

“What was your name again?” Yerim asked the alpha as she began cutting up the clothes that surrounded both arrow wounds. 

“Heeyeon.” The alpha did not spare a glance at the beta as she lifted Byul’s head slightly to inspect the damage done to her skull. “I’m a medic back home.”

Yongsun eyed the alpha. Heeyeon. The name was so familiar to the princess but she couldn’t pin point where she had heard it before. Her face was vaguely familiar too. The omega shook her head and put the familiarity down to the fact that they must have met in passing at the village. 

“Heeyeon,” Yerim started, “You see this arrow in her leg?” The beta pointed at the wooden spike sticking out from Byul’s upper thigh. 

The alpha nodded. “I’ll get the cloths.”

Yongsun was quick to react, she grabbed the cloths from her bed and sprinted the short distance to where both medics were stood. Holding out her arms, she couldn’t help but glance at Byul’s face. The usual slightly sunburned cheeks were gone and a horrifying greyness spread along her beautiful features. 

“Thanks.” Heeyeon mumbled as she grabbed a few cloths from the princess. 

Yerim snapped the arrow in half and grabbed onto the part with the arrowhead. “As soon as I pull it out, apply pressure to the top and I’ll apply it to the bottom.” 

Heeyeon nodded and almost threw the cloth down on Byul’s leg as Yerim pulled the arrow out. She could have laughed at how the princess paled and visibly gagged if it wasn’t for the heartbroken look in the omega’s eyes. The alpha shuddered as she remembered the princess’ mother having the exact same look in her eyes back when Yongsun was a baby, back when Yongsun was ripped from her mother’s arms, never to see her daughter again. 

“Has the bleeding stopped?” Yerim snapped Heeyeon from her memory banks and back into reality. 

Heeyeon took the cloth away gently and breathed a sigh of relief at the fact that the wounds had indeed stopped bleeding. Yerim sighed a breath of relief that mirrored the alpha’s and used a clean piece of cloth to tie around the alpha’s leg. As soon as she was done with the other arrow, she’ll stitch up the wounds but for now they’ll just have to wait. 

“Yongsun,” Yerim quietly began as she made her way to Byul’s upper body, “I’d suggest for you to wait outside. This arrow-“

“No.” Yongsun banged her fist off the table. “She’s my alpha. I’ll stay with her until the end.” 

The beta medic hung her head slightly but eventually nodded at the princess. She moved towards Heeyeon and instructed her to get more clean cloths from the princess, who all but threw the remaining pieces at the alpha. 

“This arrow didn’t go all the way through.” Yerim sighed. “I’m going to have to pull it out but the pain could wake Byul up. Yongsun, I need you to be prepared for it if it happens.” 

The princess nodded confidently and held onto Byul’s right hand. The arrow was sticking out of her left shoulder, just underneath her collarbone. Yerim wiggled the arrow around to try and loosen it without causing Byul too much distress. The arrowhead was lodged too deep within Byul’s shoulder to try and massage it out. Yerim and Heeyeon shared a look before Heeyeon moved to a spot behind Byul’s head and placed her hands on the other alpha’s shoulders with some force. 

Yerim wanted to close her eyes, but knew she couldn’t. She grasped onto the arrow with both hands and began yanking the thing out. Yongsun looked horrified as her eyes were locked onto Byul’s shoulder. 

An almighty scream erupted from the younger alpha as the beta continued to yank and pull this arrow out. Yerim reached over the table and grabbed a small piece of wood before placing it in between the alpha’s teeth so she could use it to bite down on. 

Byul’s eyes snapped open at the pain and Yongsun was quick to grab her face with both hands and force the thief to look at her. She rested their foreheads together as Yongsun’s hot salty tears fell from her face onto her alpha’s. 

As soon as the arrow was out, Byul was rendered unconscious again. Heeyeon quickly pressed the cloth down on the wound as Yerim removed the piece of wood from the young alpha’s mouth. Yongsun’s eyes were still attached to Byul’s face and it felt as though she couldn’t move her sight away from her alpha. 

Yerim milled about in the background before coming to a stop by the alpha’s head and inspecting the wounds there. Luckily the hit she suffered to the head didn’t split the skin. She marched over to the young alpha’s right leg and began slowly removing the cloth and stitching up the wounds. 

“Will she be okay?” Yongsun asked after an eerie silence fell around the room. 

The beta replied as honestly as she could. “From the arrow wounds? Yes. I can treat those daily to make sure they don’t become infected. But I’m unsure about her head injuries.” 

“What do you mean?”

“She has suffered two major head injuries in a very short space of time. I can’t begin to imagine the effect thats had on her skull not to mention her brain. If she survives the next couple of nights without any seizures, she’ll be fine.” 

Yongsun sobbed loudly and rested her head on Byul’s uninjured shoulder. Her hands were still clasped around Byul’s right hand as her body shook. Heeyeon couldn’t help but look at the princess in pity. She was certain years ago that Yongsun would have turned out exactly like the king, she refused to believe Byul when she told her that a trip to Japan changed the princess’ outlook on alpha’s. In fact, she still refuses to believe it. In her mind the only thing that changed the princess’ views on alpha’s was currently lying on this wooden table. 

Yerim moved to Byul’s left shoulder and inspected the wound there before stitching it up just as neatly as she had done for Byul’s leg. Heeyeon stood to the side with her arms behind her back. Yongsun’s sobs were the only thing one could hear within the confines of the princess’ bedroom. 

The beta excused herself not too long later and asked Heeyeon to join her. The alpha nodded and followed the medic, leaving Yongsun alone with Byul. As they walked down the corridor together they spotted Sooyoung pacing up and down, just waiting for any sort of news. 

Yongsun’s tears began to dry up and her eyes were beginning to become heavier and heavier. She cannot remember crying as much in her whole life as what she’s done for the past four days. 

“I’m sorry.” The princess whispered. “I can’t keep you safe.” She sank down to her knees and rested her forehead against the cold wood of the table. “I keep failing you.” 

Sooyoung entered and upon seeing her princess on her knees, she sprinted towards her and lifted her up. Yongsun, through tear soaked and red raw eyes, hugged the omega handmaiden tightly as her body shook with dry sobs. 

The handmaiden pulled back and gave the princess a once over. Her hands were covered in Byul’s blood as were her clothes, the bottom of her hanbok was covered in dirt and her shoes were still on. 

“Help me put her in bed.” Yongsun whispered. 

Sooyoung nodded and between her and the princess, they softly lowered the alpha onto the comfortable and warm sheets that made up Yongsun’s bed. The princess pulled a chair up to the side of the bed and sat down. Her hand quickly reattached itself to Byul’s as she lay her head on the bed and closed her eyes. 

“Bathing can wait.” Sooyoung quietly mumbled. “Some things are more important.” 

______________

“If my father or any of his guards come to this wing of the palace, do not under any circumstances let them in!” Yongsun yelled out at her guards. 

Her personal set of guards bowed to her and set off to relay the message to the other guards patrolling the princess’ wing of the palace. 

“That goes for you too.” Yonghee snapped towards her own set of guards. They bowed to her just like Yongsun’s and scurried off to guard every entrance to the princess’ wing of the palace. 

Yonghee entered her sisters room quickly just as the younger princess began to break down again. Sobs wracked through her body as another day passed by without Byul waking up. 

“Have you bathed yet?” The older omega asked. 

Yongsun looked down at her dirty hands and shook her head. Bathing meant she had to leave Byul. She refused to even entertain the idea of leaving behind her beloved. 

The older princess rubbed her sisters shoulders and made her way to the servants quarters. She ordered four of them to move the portable bathtub from the infirmary and straight into Yongsun’s bedroom. She then headed towards Sooyoung’s little bedroom and ordered her to run the princess a bath before briefly explaining where it is. 

As Yongsun soaked in the warm lavender smelling water, her eyes never once left Byul’s face. Every slight movement of the alpha’s features almost had the princess jumping up and sprinting towards her. 

But unfortunately, there was still no sign of her waking up. 

_______________

Three days had now passed since the alpha was shot with arrows. The king made no attempt to contact his daughter after a messenger of his was turned away. He figured that she would eventually forgive him, it would just take time. 

Yongsun was sat in her chair by the bed with a book of old children’s tales in her hand. With every new story, Yongsun became more and more animated. She even tried to change the sound of her voice to match the characters. 

She laughed at herself as she began acting out the parts instead of just saying them. In her mind she wished that Byul was awake just so they could laugh together, but deep down she was secretly glad no one could see her being a goof. 

Whenever Byul’s lips began drying up, Yongsun took a moist bit of cloth, dipped it in a glass of water and dabbed the sides of her mouth gently before wiping at her lips and allowing the water to seep in to the alpha’s mouth. 

“Okay.” Yongsun put the cloth down and picked the book back up. 

Byul’s face never changed, but Yongsun hoped that somewhere in her mind, she was laughing at her omega and clapping her at wonderful performance. 

_____________

Day four brought barely any change. The most miraculous thing to happen was Byul breathing a little heavier. 

Sooyoung prepared another bath for the princess, but that only sparked an idea in Yongsun’s mind. She skipped over to the bath, grabbed the cloth that was usually for her to clean herself with, dipped the cloth into the wonderful smelling water and skipped back over to the alpha. 

Yongsun washed every piece of available skin on the alpha’s body. With the help of Sooyoung, they also even washed Byul’s blood matted hair. 

They picked out the best looking clothes from Yongsun’s wardrobes and softly began changing the dirty, smelly blood stained clothes into a fresh royal hanbok. 

The sight of the alpha made them both grin with pride and eventually Yongsun accepted the call for the bath. It wasn’t as warm as she’d like it, but that was because she focused more on cleaning Byul than catering to her own needs. 

Her gaze was once again locked on Byul’s face. The colour started slowly reappearing on the alpha’s features and her hands began to twitch a little more. 

Yerim visited once Yongsun was dressed into her nighttime wear and assured the future queen that Byul was making a speedy recovery. 

__________

Her head was sore. Her arms were sore. Everything was sore. She tried to move something, anything, but to no avail. She has no idea what happened. One minute she was stood and the next she’s on a wooden table being tortured. 

She couldn’t see. She tried to call out. Nothing. She tried again. Nothing. Not one to give up, she tried one last time and all she could manage was a groan. She curled her toes and breathed a mental sigh of relief over the fact that she could still feel her feet. 

Her eyes were nailed shut. Or maybe her eye’s were ripped from her skull. She wasn’t sure. Either way, she was sure that she’d be living out the rest of her days blind. 

Her tongue was horribly dry. It sat in the middle of her equally dry mouth like a fish in a desert. She tried swiping around her mouth to collect any moisture but again to no avail. 

She tried groaning again to gain any nearby attention. She wasn’t sure if anyone heard her. All she could hear was a ringing noise in her ears. 

A cold hand rested itself on her forehead and it cooled her down. She could feel another hand grasping desperately at her own, but this hand was soft and warm. 

A mumbling sound could be heard over the ringing in her ears. She couldn’t quite make out what was being said. She couldn’t even guess who was speaking. All the noises kind of muddled into one. 

She made out a sigh from someone close by her and another few mumbling sounds. It was as though she was underwater. The sounds were so blurred that she couldn’t understand a single thing. 

The room around her went silent again. The hand on her forehead was gone but the hand in hers stayed. If anything the hand became more attached to hers than before. She tried to groan again to alert the owner of the hand but nothing came out. She could feel herself being forced back into the darkness that she fought so hard to break free from. 

_______________

A mumbling noise erupted from the alpha’s chest but it wasn’t loud enough for it to wake Yongsun. The omega was hunched over the bed, her hand still tightly holding onto Byul’s, and snoring away. 

Just wake up. 

It’s been five days since the king ordered his guard to kill the princess’ alpha. Five long days without the omega properly sleeping or eating. Five days since Byul last opened her eyes. 

Just wake up. 

Nightmares plagued Yongsun’s dreams whenever she would eventually drift off into sleep. Visions of Yerim declaring the alpha dead to the world and the king burning Byul’s body in front of the kingdom haunted her. She just needed Byul to wake up. 

Just wake up. 

She cried every night as she watched the alpha’s chest rise and fall. She cried every morning when the alpha refused to wake up. She cried during the day after she’d read the alpha a story. 

Just wake up. 

She received letters from Hyejin on a regular basis asking for updates on Byul’s health. But every letter ended the same. ‘No change yet.’

Just wake up. 

Yongsun couldn’t imagine the state Wheein was in. Surely the timid alpha would have known what had happened to Byul. Everyone in the kingdom knew. Everyone in the kingdom were outraged. The king lost more and more credibility with each arrow that was fired towards her alpha. The people rioted. They demanded justice for the messenger of the gods. 

Just wake up. 

Burning banners were thrown into the palace grounds, carts filled with food and drinks for the palace were vandalised and looted, guards abandoned their posts and decided instead to guard the princess’ wing. If only Byul were to awaken so she could bear witness to the outcome of her actions. 

Please, Byul, just wake up. 

Another nightmare plagued her. This time the king was chasing them all over the kingdom. They hid in nearly every house they could find and the king still somehow found them. But this dream ended differently. Normally her dreams ended with Byul being captured and brutally murdered, but this one was different. They hid in a house that resembled the one Byul lived in with her sisters and Wheein. Byul smiled at her and ran a hand though her hair and whispered sweet words into her ear. It all felt so real. 

Yongsun, wake up. 

Her eyes snapped open and she found a smiling alpha looking back at her. Byul’s hand was in her hair and stroking her head soothingly. 

Yongsun couldn’t help the relieved sob that rang out loudly around the room. 

“Byul, you woke up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you really think I'd kill Byul off? I did consider it, I'm not gunna lie, but there's still so much work to be done that we can't just kill her. 
> 
> If anyone is interested, we're about halfway through the story. There's still lots I wish to explore. Hopefully with less TW chapters because fuck me there's a lot!
> 
> I won't bribe you this time ;) leave a comment if you want to!


	15. The Angel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a TW for this chapter. It’s only light but it’s there.   
> There’s also a M rating for it too as a treat.

“You need to sleep, Wheein.” Hyejin sighed as the alpha sat by the door awaiting any sort of news about Byul. 

Wheein shook her head, she didn’t want to fall asleep and potentially miss a royal messenger. She had been hiding out in Hyejin’s family home for the past few days with Seulgi, Yesol and Joohyun. Hyejin banned any and every servant from entering her own private quarters except her handmaiden. The room was cramped, but at least they were all safe. 

The two children were snoring away in the corner with Joohyun. Even though the room was cramped, the living conditions were still better than the ones they’ve endured in their lifetimes. The bed mats were a better quality, the sheets were expensive silks and the pillows were so soft it was as though they were sleeping on a cloud. 

Wheein couldn’t sleep. Every time she did she woke up a few hours later almost screaming in horror. She had heard what happened to Byul due to gossiping servants and the visions haunted her. Byul, for a very long time, was her only friend. Byul saved her. Byul kept her safe. Byul meant the world to Wheein. 

Hyejin sighed from her spot on her luxurious bed and made her way to the small alpha. She wrapped her thick sheets around her shoulders and sat behind Wheein. The older woman leaned back and rested against Hyejin’s chest. The omega rested her chin against the alpha’s right shoulder. 

“You need to rest.” Hyejin mumbled. 

Wheein once again shook her head. “Not until she wakes up.” 

“If you sleep then time will move quicker.” 

“If I sleep I’ll be trapped in the darkness again.” Wheein’s voice broke. “I can’t go back there.” 

Hyejin wrapped both of her arms around the alpha’s waist. Wheein flinched slightly from the intimate gesture, but appreciated the comforting warmth the omega radiated. 

“Sleep on the bed with me.” The omega suggested. “I’ll stay awake and I promise you I will wake you as soon as a messenger comes.” 

Wheein turned slightly and gazed into Hyejin’s pleading eyes. She nodded after a few seconds and was almost pulled with the force of a thousand soldiers to the bed. As soon as the alpha’s head hit the pillow and her eyes were closed, her exhaustion took over. 

________________

Darkness. That’s all she can remember. That, and a slight chill in the air. They’ve injected her with something again. Another omega must have come to use her as a play thing. She wanted to move her arms or legs and break free from the ropes that bound her to the bed, but it was pointless. 

She was weak. Too weak to fight back, too weak to even cry out. She just wanted out and even dying sounding like heaven on a plate. Tears just continued to leak from her eyes and onto the pillow her head rested on. 

A sound came from her right that made her flinch in terror. Not again. This person was heavily panting and it made her even more terrified. She could feel herself shaking and she could hear herself whimpering at the mysterious person and continuously whispering, “Please don’t hurt me.”

“What the fuck.” The panting woman cursed. “What have they done to you?” 

The blindfold was softly ripped from her face and the blinding light from the sun felt like it was melting her eyes. She had to blink a few times to try and adjust her eyesight. This person, another alpha, was rushing around her untying the knots around her wrists and ankles. As soon as she was released, she pulled her knees to her chest and burrowed her head in between both of her knees. 

“Hey.” The mysterious alpha whispered. “We’re gonna get you out of here.” 

She looked up at the other alpha and was shocked to see her eyes a pale pink colour. Was she crying for her? She shook her head. No, she wouldn’t. She doesn’t even know her. 

“What’s your name?” 

She opened her mouth but nothing would come out. Her throat was as dry as a bone. Her lips were cracked and swollen, there was even a little bit of dried blood on her bottom lip from when an omega nobleman got a little too rough. 

“Here.” A small tin can was thrust into her hands. “It’s water, drink.”

She took the can gratefully and bowed her head at the mystery alpha. The water was warm, but so soothing. Her throat almost felt instantly better. 

“Can you tell me your name now?” The other alpha asked again. 

She nodded and cleared the dried phlegm from her throat. She took in a breath and tried to confidently talk. 

“Wheein.” It came out more broken than she intended, but the other alpha heard her. 

She smiled and pointed to herself. “My name is Byul.” 

Byul stood up and headed to the only door in the room and peered out. Luckily there was no one around. She slid the door back into place and threw off her shirt. 

“Put this on.” She basically demanded and Wheein did as she was told. Byul then took of her pants and handed them to the smaller alpha. 

Once Wheein was dressed in Byul’s over sized clothes, she tried to stand up but unfortunately fell to the floor with a thump. She’s not walked in weeks. She’s been confined to the bed for nearly three months. Byul clicked her tongue and picked the small alpha up. 

Leaving via the window was a no go because Wheein couldn’t even stand on her own two feet, let alone climb through a window and out onto the streets. 

“I can’t go.” Wheein pathetically moaned from within Byul’s arms. 

Byul looked down at the alpha in slight pity. “You can’t stay here. I’ll keep you safe, I promise.”

Wheein shook her head. “They’ll come for me and kill me.”

“They won’t. I won’t let them.” Luckily for Byul, Wheein weighed as much as the bags of rice she steals from the royal wagons, so holding her wasn’t a problem. 

“But...” The smaller alpha’s bottom lip wobbled and tears began making tracks down her cheeks again. 

“Wheein,” Byul began, “I won’t leave you here. I will take you to a safe place and I’ll look after you.” 

Wheein still looked uncertain but eventually relented and allowed the older alpha to whisk her away. Byul hid behind random artefacts that decorated the corridors of the brothel to avoid detection. She even crawled along the floor to avoid people in other rooms from seeing her shadow in the sliding doors. 

Eventually they made it outside and into the warm summer air. People looked at them strangely, but Byul carried on. She hated walking the streets during the day, but she had no choice. Wheein could barely walk, what other option did she have?

When they reached the poor district, Byul knew they were safe. The poor district is the only place within the kingdom that is relatively safe for alpha’s to roam freely. 

She let Wheein go and instead hooked the younger alpha’s arm over her shoulder to try and get Wheein to walk again. She succeeded. Although with a very visible limp, the smaller alpha was able to walk, albeit slowly, back to Byul’s family home. 

Byul slid the door open and hurried Wheein inside. She let Wheein sit down on one of the stolen luxury pillows from a nobles home before heading towards a small latch underneath her home. She knocked on it three times and watched as two children popped out with huge grins on their faces. 

“Byul! You’re back!” The older child almost danced in glee. 

“Yeah,” Byul nodded, “And I’ve brought a friend.” She motioned over to the terrified looking alpha. “This is Wheein. She’s an alpha just like me.”

Both girls almost ran towards Wheein to greet her, but the alpha cowered and flung herself into a fetal position on the dusty hardwood floor. She whimpered and shook violently. 

Byul jumped up and over to Wheein. She coaxed her softly into sitting back up normally and sat next to her with one arm wrapped around her shoulders. 

“You don’t have to be afraid, Wheein, they won’t hurt you.” Byul whispered. 

Seulgi sat down to Wheein’s opposite side and reached for her hand. “That’s right.” She said. “We’ll be your friends!” 

Yesol nodded. “Best friends!”

Wheein didn’t speak. She didn’t trust her voice. Instead she nodded and accepted a hug from Seulgi and then one from Yesol. 

She knew then that Byul wasn’t a normal alpha. She was a saviour. She risked her own life and freedom to save Wheein from that brothel. Byul was special and Wheein would follow her into the depths of hell and back if needed. 

______________

“Wheein!” Hyejin shook the sleeping alpha. “Wheein, wake up!”

The alpha in question mumbled and opened her eyes slowly. “What?” She groaned. 

“Byul’s awake! She’s okay.” 

Wheein couldn’t help but breakdown. 

_______________

Yongsun tilted the glass of water back and slowly let it slide into her alpha’s mouth. Byul hummed gratefully at the cold liquid and smiled at her omega once the glass was removed. 

“Why did you do it?” Yongsun could not hold back from asking any longer. 

It had been hours since Byul woke up and Yongsun spent most of the time crying in relief. She ordered for Sooyoung to fetch as much easy to eat food as possible for the alpha. Yongsun fed her a simple meal of chicken and rice. 

“I had a dream.” Byul’s voice was still hoarse. “The night after I was beaten. I was in this dark oblivion just floating around and then this bright white light took over and an Angel appeared.”

“An Angel?”

The alpha nodded. “She was beautiful. She told me that the gods were displeased with the king and she told me what to do to show the kingdom that he’s failed them. She said she will keep me safe and that I shouldn’t worry about dying because she wouldn’t let me die.” 

A painful stab made its way through Yongsun’s heart at that. She promised she’d keep Byul safe and she failed. This Angel succeeded where she herself failed multiple times. She hung her head low in shame. 

Byul winced as she tried to move her left arm to lift the princess’ head up. Yongsun looked up at the sound and expected to see a look filled with pain on the alpha’s face but instead she saw love and admiration. 

“The Angel was you.” She said simply. “You protected me. I thought that I was sent by the gods, but I know now that it was you all along.” A tear escaped the alpha’s eye. “You are an Angel sent by the gods and I was your messenger.” 

Yongsun smiled at the sight of the alpha. “Together, we’ll reshape the kingdom and make it better for everyone.”

“Together.” Byul nodded in agreement. 

Yongsun began to feed the alpha slowly again and watched as her eyes became heavier and heavier until she finally succumbed to sleep. The princess wiped the bits of rice that fell on the alpha’s chest away and kissed Byul’s forehead. A knock at the door startled her slightly before she composed herself and ordered whomever to come in. 

Sooyoung entered. “Miss, Lady Ahn has arrived with an alpha and two children.”

“Send them up right away.” Yongsun grinned. 

She couldn’t wait to see Seulgi and Yesol again. It’s been nearly a month since she last saw the two adorable omega’s. Byul told her how good Seulgi’s reading has become and was anxious about getting the child to read her a story for once. 

The party of four bowed as they entered the princess’ chambers. Yongsun expected them to look on in awe, but instead their gazes locked on Byul’s sleeping form and they bolted straight for the bed. 

“I thought she was awake.” Wheein asked in confusion. 

“She was, she’s just had something to eat and she dozed off.” Yongsun replied as Hyejin enveloped her in a hug. 

The two children jumped on the bed and sat up on their knees just watching their sisters chest rise and fall steadily. Wheein quickly sat in Yongsun’s seat and took Byul’s hand within hers. She couldn’t stop the tears from breaking free and falling down her cheeks at the sight of her best friend. 

Hyejin saw the small alpha begin to breakdown and stood behind her with her hands on Wheein’s shoulders. She gave them a comforting squeeze. Yongsun looked on sadly and called for the two omega children to follow her. 

“Where are we going?” Seulgi asked as she held hands with Yesol. 

“You two look tired, I’m going to get Sooyoung to run you both a bath.” Yongsun smiled as both girls squealed in excitement. 

Sooyoung did as she was told and before they knew it, both girls were giggling at each other and splashing about in their separate bath tubs. Yongsun laughed at them. They reminded her of when Byul was in the bath during the festival and loudly making as much mess as humanly possible. 

“I’ll look after them.” Sooyoung ushered the princess out the door. “You go back to your alpha.”

Yongsun nodded gratefully and ran back into her room. She stood just outside the door and could hear Wheein talking to Byul in a small and frightened voice. 

“Please open your eyes, Byul.” She heard Wheein cry. “You’ve done it once before, do it again, please.” 

Wheein’s voice was desperate and Yongsun felt herself pleading mentally for Byul to open her eyes for her friend. 

“I told you I wouldn’t die.” Byul’s croaky voice floated through the door and into Yongsun’s ears. 

She heard an almighty sob coming from inside her room as Wheein all but screamed Byul’s name. Yongsun opened the sliding door and could just about see Wheein’s head poking up from her bed as she fell to her knees and rested her forehead against the side of the bed. Hyejin stood beside her and rubbed the small alpha’s back. 

“Wheein,” Byul chuckled, “Where’d you go?” 

The alpha in question stood up and hugged her friend, she avoided putting pressure on Byul’s wounded shoulder and instead hugged the right side of her body. The older alpha laughed warmly at her friend and attempted to wipe away the tears that flooded Wheein’s eyes with her right hand. 

“Don’t ever do that again.” Wheein warned her. Despite being a small alpha, Wheein could be quite terrifying when she was mad. 

Byul shook her head. “I don’t have to.” She looked over at Yongsun. “I’ve already done what I was supposed to. We just have to standby and wait.”

Wheein didn’t understand what Byul was saying, but she didn’t care. She got her friend back and that was all that mattered. Their friendship began under the most awful of circumstances, but flourished over time. Now they were in a place where if one of them were suddenly to have gone, it would break the other. 

Yongsun made her way over to the bed and sat down in the empty space. She kissed Byul’s forehead lightly and smiled down at her alpha. 

“I have one more surprise for you.” She said just as Sooyoung slid open the door to the princess’ bedroom. 

Two little bundles of joy ran into the room and jumped onto the bed. Byul was so happy to see her sisters that she couldn’t feel the pain in her shoulder as she sat up and grabbed them both. The sight of her sisters made her tear up and she let the tears fall. She thought she’d never see them again. She thought Wheein would run away to Japan with them in the hopes of a happier and more equal life. But here they are, squeezing her bad shoulder tightly and crying themselves. 

Yongsun ordered for dinner to be served inside her room for all six of them. Byul wasn’t up for eating fancy dishes and opted for rice and chicken again. The princess fed her and ignored the angry grumbles coming from her own stomach. To her, Byul came first. As soon as the alpha was satisfied, that’s when Yongsun would eat. 

She watched on as Byul told an exaggerated story on how she got hurt. She didn’t want her sisters to know that the man who tried to kill her was currently sitting on the throne. Instead, she told a tale of saving the princess from some evil bandits that broke into the palace and looked over at Yongsun who nodded enthusiastically and grinned at the admiration that was etched onto the two children’s faces. 

Yongsun had set up two separate rooms next to hers. One for Hyejin and one for Wheein and the two omega’s. The princess was sure that Wheein would sneak out at one point and head straight into Hyejin’s room, but she didn’t voice her thoughts. Instead she smiled at the discreet look the younger alpha and omega shared before heading off in the direction of the rooms. 

Byul hugged her two sisters one last time before they followed Wheein out of the room and straight down the corridor. As soon as the door was closed, the alpha let out a pained groan. 

“They kept touching my shoulder.” Byul moaned. 

Yongsun chuckled at the alpha and sat back down next to her on the bed. 

“You know,” Yongsun started as she ran her fingers up and down Byul’s arm, “I can take your mind off the pain.”

“Have you got medicine?” Byul asked oblivious to Yongsun’s open flirting. 

The omega rolled her eyes. “Sort of. But this medicine is only for you.”

Yongsun leaned down and softly kissed Byul’s slightly chapped lips. She could feel the alpha groan into the kiss as she deepened it. Without hurting Byul’s leg, she moved so that she was on top of the alpha and that her body was in between the thief’s legs. 

The alpha could smell the omega’s arousal and it did nothing but further her own. She spared a thought to her leg, but that quickly disappeared once Yongsun’s hand slid down Byul’s chest to cup her crotch. 

“I’ll take care of you.” Yongsun whispered against Byul’s lips. 

Byul could do nothing but groan helplessly as Yongsun made her way slowly down the alpha’s body. She opened up the hanbok carefully and pulled down the black baji’s. The alpha could see and feel herself getting harder at the sight of Yongsun gazing at her length with a feral look in her eyes. 

Her undershorts were pulled down as low as her baji’s and Byul just kicked them both off. She had fantasised about this moment before, but back then she’d never have thought it was ever going to happen. 

Yongsun hesitated slightly before reaching out with her hand and slowly wrapping her warm fingers around Byul’s member. She smirked at the immediate effect it had on Byul and mentally patted herself on the back as she watched the alpha’s hips jerk slightly. 

The princess slowly pumped up and down until Byul was fully hard. She leaned down, locked eyes with the alpha and licked from the bottom on Byul’s extremely hard cock straight to the top. At the sound of Byul’s high pitched yelp, Yongsun repeated her actions. 

Byul ran her hand through her hair and desperately clutched at her own scalp. Yongsun just continued to smirk smugly at her. She reached up, grabbed onto Byul’s hand and put it on the back of her own head before winking at the alpha and taking her entire cock in her mouth. 

It took every single piece of Byul’s self restraint to not come in Yongsun’s mouth straight away. She felt herself tickling the back of the omega’s throat and curled her toes up in absolute bliss. 

Yongsun slowly began bobbing her head up and down whilst using her tongue to rub against the prominent veins that were popping out the underside of Byul’s shaft. Using the hand in her hair as a guide, Yongsun felt Byul’s fingers tighten around her hair and push and pull the omega’s head. 

The princess used her free hand to sensually massage the alpha’s balls. All it took was one touch and the alpha was howling. 

“Fuck.” The alpha cursed. “Yongsun... I’m gonna...”

She never did finish that sentence. Her hips jerked as the pleasure blinded her and she shot her load into the princess’ mouth. Yongsun kept up her ministration on Byul’s shaft until the cock went limp. 

She crawled back up the alpha and kissed her deeply. Their tongues fought one another as Byul’s come was shared between them. 

Yongsun broke the kiss and lay down on Byul’s right after pulling the sheets up and over the both of them. The alpha could barely keep her eyes open as she glanced over to her omega. 

“My omega.” She whispered as her eyes closed completely. 

“Goodnight, my alpha.” Yongsun whispered back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only me! The little bit at the end was a bit of a treat for those who genuinely thought I'd kill Byul off. I did have this alternative thought of killing Byul, making Yongsun pregnant and having her change the kingdoms in Byul's memory, but you guys deserve better for sticking with this story. 
> 
> There will be less TW chapters from now on and more M ones instead, because that’s what we want, right? 
> 
> Leave a comment if you want! I do appreciate them and I love reading them especially when you're going mad ;) 
> 
> Until next time!


	16. The Recovery

“Can I get out of bed yet?” The desperate voice of Byul begged Yerim. 

Ever since Byul first opened her eyes since the attack, all she’s been doing is moaning. She’s bored. Terribly bored. There’s not much one can do when they’re bored out of their mind and their only source of entertainment sits at her desk most of the day writing letters to whomever. 

“I’ll tell you what,” Yerim compromised, “If you can lift up your arm and your leg, I’ll give you the all clear to stand up and walk around with the aid of a cane.” 

Grinning mischievously, Byul lifted up her right arm and left leg - coincidently, the only parts of her body that weren’t injured at all. Yerim narrowed her eyes at the alpha and Yongsun laughed from where she was sat at her desk. 

“You know I meant the other ones.” The beta rolled her eyes. 

Byul shrugged her one good shoulder. “You didn’t say which one. So I can walk!” 

Yerim shook her head. “Lift up your right leg.” She ordered. 

The alpha lifted up her leg as high as she could get it before the pain became too unbearable. She maybe lifted it a foot off the bed, not what Yerim would deem enough to be able to walk. 

“Can you bend your knee?” The beta asked. 

That was the easy part. Byul bent her knee and lay the pad of her foot flat against the bed. Her heart was beating with hope as Yerim smiled at her actions. 

“If you can lift your leg further, I’ll consider allowing you to walk.” 

Using her right hand to push herself up on the bed, Byul bit her bottom lip as she pulled her leg a couple more inches towards her. The pain almost blinding her, but she needed to fight it. She was sick and tired of being bed ridden. She wanted to at least walk around Yongsun’s bedroom. 

“How’s that?” Byul asked through gritted teeth. 

Yerim shook her head. “You won’t be able to walk unaided, possibly not for a long time.” 

Byul glared at the little wooden cane Yerim brought in with her. The cane made her feel old. She wasn’t even twenty-one and already she was losing the ability to walk unaided. Her entire existence is built on the ability to run quickly and if she can barely even walk, what’s the point? 

“Lift up your left arm for me.” 

This was the main struggle for the alpha. She could move her forearm, her wrist and her fingers but she couldn’t move her arm from her elbow to her shoulder. Whenever she moved it accidentally, it would send wave after wave of intense pain from her shoulder to around the rest of her body. She could even feel the pain in her teeth. 

“I can’t move it.” Byul pathetically muttered in a small voice. 

Yerim sighed. “Byul, if you want to stand up, you’re going to have to at least try to move your arm.” 

“What’s my arm got to do with me walking?” The alpha whined. “I walk with my legs, not my arms.” 

“It’s the motions of you moving that will trigger the pain in your shoulder. The more you move, the more your shoulder moves.” Yerim sighed once more. “It’s fine whilst you’re lying down, but once you’re up and you’re moving, the pain could hinder your walking.” 

“But it hurts.” 

Yongsun stood up and made her way over to her alpha. She sat down next to Byul’s head and wiped away a few stray strands of hair that littered the alpha’s forehead. 

“You can do it, Byul.” She whispered. She then reached behind Byul’s head and took the alpha’s right hand in her own. 

The thief nodded and let out a shaky breath as she attempted to lift her arm as high as possible. She first lifted her forearm up so her hand was pointing at the roof with her elbow bent. Then after a few deep breaths, she began slowly pulling the rest of her arm up. The pain was searing, but she fought through it. 

All she could picture in her mind was a walk in the gardens with Yongsun. She spared a glance outside and couldn’t help but whimper slightly at the glorious rays of sunshine that was currently blessing the kingdom. 

Using that as motivation, Byul ignored the pain and lifted her arm higher and higher until her hand reached up to cup the princess’ cheek. The alpha could have cried in relief as she allowed her arm to fall back down onto the bed. The look of pure happiness and pride in the princess’ eyes made Byul grin like a fool. 

“Can I walk now?” She asked the medic expectantly. 

Yerim rolled her eyes playfully and nodded. With the help of Yongsun, they pulled the alpha into a sitting position on the bed. 

“You have to take this.” Yerim handed Byul the cane. “Make sure to put as much weight on the cane as you possibly can to relieve the pressure on your leg.” 

Nodding, Byul grasped onto the cane and attempted to lift herself off the bed. After failing miserably, Yongsun and Yerim carefully helped the alpha to her feet. The princess kept one arm around Byul’s waist to hold her up. 

“Slowly put a bit of pressure on your right leg.” Yerim instructed. “You need to know how much pressure you can apply to your leg before you start walking.” 

Byul, again, did as she was told. She cried out in pain as she applied too much pressure too quickly and if it wasn’t for the strong arm around her waist, she would have fell to the floor. 

“Maybe you should go back to-“

“No!” Byul yelled out. “I can do this.” 

Yongsun brushed some of Byul’s hair behind her ear and kissed her cheek. “I’ve got you.”

Using the princess’ strength as a guide, Byul placed her bare foot flat against the cool wood of the palaces’ floors. She took a few deep breaths as she used both her injured leg and the cane in her hand to walk a step a head of her. 

“I did it.” She grinned as she moved again, and then again, and then again. 

With Yongsun’s arm still around her, Byul almost dragged the omega over to the balcony so she could enjoy the last few hours of the sun before it disappeared behind the mountains to the west. 

Yerim was quick to rush out with a chair and luckily she just caught the alpha before her knees buckled. Yongsun placed her down softly in the chair and with the help of the beta medic, they pushed Byul as close to the balcony’s edge as they possibly could. 

The usual sounds of birds chirping happily were drowned out by angry noises coming from outside the palace walls. Byul stood up and immediately hunched over the balcony wall. She rested most of her weight on her left leg and the rest on her right arm that was holding her upright against the balcony. 

“Are they still rioting?” The alpha asked. 

Yongsun nodded sadly. “The people are still angry. They’re calling for the head of the archer that shot you with arrows.” 

“Who was the archer?” 

“Youngho.” 

Byul shook her head. “He shouldn’t have to die.”

“He tried to kill you twice!” Yongsun frustratedly yelled causing a few nearby guards on the ground to glance up at them. 

“Yeah, but on who’s orders? Some people have no choice.” Byul reasoned. “If he wouldn’t have shot at me, then the king could have had him executed.” 

Yongsun sighed. “It doesn’t matter anyway. The king had him arrested and now he’s in the dungeons. He’s claiming that he had no parts to play in trying to kill you and that Youngho acted alone.”

The alpha looked over towards the main entrance to the palace grounds. All sorts of burning banners were being thrown over the tall walls and a few fights were breaking out amongst guards and civilians. 

“Do they know that I’m alive?” Byul asked. 

The princess shrugged. “I don’t know. The king hasn’t made an attempt at knowing whether or not you died. He’s been too preoccupied with trying to fix his broken kingdom.” 

“The damage is already done.” Byul slowly sat back down. 

“He’ll either die on that throne with a sword though his neck, or he’ll abdicate.” 

“Let’s hope he values his life over his pride.”

“I can’t see that happening.”

______________

Byul’s recovery was a slow and agonising one. It took nearly a month to move her from the princess’ bedroom and into the gardens for a short stroll. Yongsun stayed almost glued to Byul’s side every time she stood up. The sheer pain that ran through Byul’s body every time she moved was always worth it when she got to walk alongside her omega. 

Yongsun’s right hand was in Byul’s left and held close to the alpha’s chest. Her arm still hurt whenever she’d move, but having Yongsun’s hand in hers eased the pain somehow. 

They walked alongside rose bushes and under arches made out of the most beautiful flowers the alpha had ever seen. She came down here with her sisters a few days ago and they showed her the small lake towards the eastern side of the princess’ wing. Byul taught them both how to swim a long time ago so when Yonghee first introduced them to the lake with her handmaiden, Seungwan and her sister, and fellow handmaiden, Sooyoung, they were pleasantly surprised at the fact that the children were better swimmers than they were. 

Yongsun spotted two suspicious figures sat huddled side by side at the lakes edge. Lanterns floated around them on the waters surface and were kicked away softly whenever they’d get too close to them. 

They approached the two slowly, to be fair, with the state of Byul’s leg was in, going anything but slowly wasn’t an option. Yongsun could smell who it was before she saw their faces and halted Byul with a hand to her chest. She pointed a few yards away at a nearby bench and headed towards it. 

Wheein was sat with her head resting on Hyejin’s shoulders. The omega laced their fingers together and sighed warmly. They were sat here under the warm embrace of the sun for a few hours. Neither talked. They found each other’s company comfortable enough that neither needed to talk. 

A cool breeze filtered through the trees and reached them. The lanterns were pushed back towards them and they knocked them back away. 

“You scare me.” Wheein said in a small voice. 

Hyejin’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion and she pulled back slightly from the alpha so she could gaze into her eyes. 

“What?” The omega asked in the softest tone she could manage. 

“You make me feel safe and at ease and that scares me.” Wheein’s gaze stayed fixed on the floating lanterns. 

Hyejin chuckled warmly at the small alpha. “Is that a bad thing?” 

“It might not seem like it to you, but it can be.” The alpha answered truthfully. “I’ve never felt at ease with an omega before.”

“What about the girls?”

“They’re children.” Wheein mumbled. “They’re still innocent to the ways of the world.” 

Hyejin turned so her whole body was facing the alpha and she pulled Wheein until she mirrored the omega. They both sat back on their knees and held their hands together. 

“I won’t hurt you.” Hyejin whispered. “I promise.” 

“That scares me too.” Wheein admitted. “What are we? Are we friends? Or something more? Or... what?” 

“We can be whatever you want.” Hyejin pulled the shorter woman closer and held her in her arms. “Whatever you’re comfortable with.” 

Wheein nodded as she tearfully said, “I’m sorry that this isn’t easy and I’m sorry that I’m too broken, Hyejin.”

“Hey,” the omega softly grasped the alpha’s cheeks with her warm hands, “Even if you think you’re broken, you’ll put yourself back together and I will be there every step of the way.” She kissed the alpha’s forehead. “You won’t have to face anything alone ever again because you’ll always have me.” 

Wheein let out a shaky breath as salty tears fell from her eyes. She found so much warmth and so much comfort from Hyejin that it almost melted her anxieties. Sinking into the omega’s loving embrace, Wheein chanced a glance at the omega’s lips which did not go unnoticed by Hyejin. 

Lifting the alpha’s chin up with one finger, Hyejin softly and briefly pressed their lips together in a chaste and innocent kiss before pulling apart and letting the alpha’s head fall against the omega’s chest. 

Yongsun and Byul were watching from their position on the bench. They heard every word the younger two spoke to one another. As soon as they shared their kiss, Yongsun heard a sniffle besides her. 

“Are you crying?” The omega asked her alpha. 

Byul nodded. “When I first met Hyejin, I didn’t trust her around Wheein.”

“And now?”

“And now I don’t trust anyone with Wheein more than her.”

The alpha lay her head against her omega’s shoulder and closed her eyes as the warm sun still graced them with its presence. She couldn’t rest her eyes for long as two yells erupted from behind them, followed by two pairs of running footsteps and a loud splash. 

Yonghee chased the two Moon sisters and followed them into the lake. Sooyoung and Seungwan stood by with grins on their faces as they watched the older princess splash around in the water with the two children. Even Yonghee’s husband, Sungyeung, joined in with them. 

Byul looked confused. Her gaze went from Sungyeung to Yongsun and then back. “Who is he and when did your sister get remarried?”

The princess rolled her eyes at the alpha. “It’s still him. He just really likes your sisters apparently. Yonghee said he hasn’t laughed or smiled so much since he heard the news about me becoming queen.” 

“Is he still an asshole?”

Yongsun shook her head. “No. After he met your sisters he realised that what he really wants is a child, and Yonghee told him that if he changes his attitude then she’ll gladly stop taking the medicines that prevent pregnancy during her next heat.”

“We could have a child.” Byul wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. 

The princess laughed. “We will, one day.”

“Promise?” Byul held out her pinky finger. 

Yongsun nodded and wrapped her own pinky around the alpha’s. 

“Promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After all the shite we've been through, we needed a nice chapter, right? 
> 
> I do hope you liked this chapter because you may not like the next one!
> 
> As always, thank you for your support. Leave a comment if you want! I know I'm updating this too quickly, but I have a lot of spare time and I do adore this story.
> 
> :)


	17. The Anger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There’s a TW for this chapter that includes mentions of suicide and sexual assault.

During her short time of sleeping next to Yongsun, Byul noticed a pattern in the omega’s sleeping state. 

One, she snores lightly. Not heavy like a war cry, but heavy enough to indicate shes still alive. 

Two, she pulls faces. Her nose crinkles, her lips form a straight line and her cheeks puff out. 

Three, nothing can wake her up. Byul has had to call Sooyoung plenty of times during the night to help her stand to use the lavatory because Yongsun is such a deep sleeper. Byul’s sure that war could break out in the princess’ room and Yongsun would just turn over and continue snoring. 

Four, she mumbles. Byul’s sure she heard the princess yell out “Fluff!” the other night and then turned over and kept sleeping. 

Five, and Byul’s favourite, before she wakes, she feels around in the bed for her alpha. If Yongsun’s facing away from Byul, she reaches out, pats the space in front of her before patting the space behind. As soon as she feels Byul, she twists her entire body to face her before she even thinks about opening her eyes. 

As Byul felt her stomach being groped, she knew her omega was about to join her in the land of consciousness. Yongsun turned and snuggled as closely into Byul’s side as she possibly could. The alpha was sweating. The heat of the pre-summer sun was glaring through Yongsun’s balcony doors. It was hotter here than what it was in her village. Unfortunately for Byul (and any other alpha in the palace), this wing was designed for omega’s which meant that the walls, roofs and even doors were meant to keep the heat inside rather than letting it filter through like nearly every other home in the kingdom. 

Yongsun yawned as her eyes squinted open. Her smile made Byul’s heart soar. The little dimples under her lips were something Byul always craved to see. She lifted up her still sore left arm and allowed her thumb to lightly trace over the dimples before replacing her thumb with her lips. 

“Good morning.” Byul sleepily said as a yawn ripped itself through her body. 

The princess cuddled closer and brought her leg up to loosely wrap around the alpha’s waist as she rested her head on Byul’s chest. “Morning.” She mumbled as she closed her eyes. 

Byul chuckled warmly as Yongsun fell back to sleep. Trapped under Yongsun’s weight in arguably the most comfortable bed in the world made the alpha think that she did indeed die and this is what heaven looked like. 

Before she could properly enjoy the peaceful ambience, a knock came at the door. With Yongsun still dead to the world, Byul granted whomever permission to enter the princess’ bedroom. Luckily it wasn’t an assassin. Just Sooyoung looking anxious. 

The handmaiden bowed to the alpha and held up two pieces of parchment. One a hastily written note and the other bearing the kings seal on it. Byul nodded at Sooyoung and began shaking the princess in a futile attempt to wake her up. 

“Hold on.” The handmaiden walked over to a few drawers stationed at the back of the room and began searching for something. She came back over with a small vile and took off the lid. “This is how I had to wake her when she was a lazy teenager.” Sooyoung chuckled warmly at the memories. 

Whatever was in that glass vile stunk to high heaven. Byul’s been around many smells in her life time, her sisters dirty cloth diapers (that she had to wash and reuse - yuk), the various smells of the poor district, the smell of death too. But this one is something else. The alpha gagged as the handmaiden wafted the vile under Yongsun’s nose and she even felt sorry for the sleepy omega. A bucket of cold water being dumped on her head was more favourable to this. 

The princess jumped up in disgust and whacked the vile halfway across the room. She gagged as the smell clung to her nostrils and she briefly worried that she’d never be rid of the odour. 

“What?” She sleepily snapped at Sooyoung before laying her head back down onto the alpha’s chest. 

“I have two urgent letters for you,” The handmaiden held her hands out, “One is from Heeyeon and Joohyun and the other is from the king.”

Yongsun’s head snapped up so fast and she snatched the letters from Sooyoung. She daren’t open either. She was afraid to know what was in either letter. Byul softly took the letter from her fellow alpha’s and held it in her hands. 

Sooyoung bowed to them before exiting their room. She promised to be back in an hours time to collect them for breakfast with Hyejin, Wheein and Byul’s two sisters. The four were still staying in the palace as it was currently safer than anywhere else in the kingdom. 

“This has my name written on it with yours.” Byul said as her eyes traced the parchment. 

“Open it.” Yongsun smiled. 

The alpha did as she was told and held it open to read. Her reading and writing have improved so much since she was shot with arrows. When one is bedridden and has nothing to do all day but lie there, one has to keep somewhat entertained. 

“‘Byul and Yongsun,’” The alpha began reading, “‘The village is still standing. Most of the alpha’s have returned. Yoondo is acting in your place and doing a great job at keeping everyone safe. News of what you did has reached every part of the kingdom and now more and more alpha’s are joining us. Soon we will be all free or die trying. Stay safe. Heeyeon and Joohyun. (And Daehyun and Seulgi - who had to write this.)’” 

After Byul had woken up, Heeyeon and Joohyun offered to go back to the village to see what had become of it. Joohyun ended up taking her mate, Seulgi and their child with her. She had already missed a full year of the boys life, she refused to miss anything else. Their weekly letters, written by Seulgi but dictated by the other two alpha’s, kept Byul’s hopes alive and eased her mind. 

Now onto the second letter. 

Yongsun’s hands were sweaty. She kept drying them off on her bedsheets but they kept clamouring up. Her fingers were shaking and she struggled to tear the seal and open the parchment. 

As soon as it was opened and unrolled, Yongsun read aloud, “‘My dearest daughter. Please accept my humblest of apologies over what happened with your alpha. I do hope you know that Youngho is sentenced to be executed at sunset today after his appalling decision to have your alpha killed. Please join me as we watch the traitor’s head roll off the podium and into the street where it belongs. Before that, however, I wish to speak with you on a matter of urgency. I will send my guards to collect you two hours after this letter gets delivered. Please go with them without putting up a fuss. All my love, your father.’” 

“Youngho will die because of your fathers selfishness.” Byul shook her head. “He truly is a revolting man.”

The princess agreed. “I know.”

“Are you going to go?”

“To the execution?”

“Well, to that and to his little morning invite.”

Yongsun seemed to think it over. She fingered the paper in her hands and glared down at her fathers handwriting. Without looking up into Byul’s eyes, she nodded once. 

“I’ll go and see what he has to say but I will not watch him murder Youngho.” The princess stood up and rummaged through her various royal hanboks. She was looking for one that said ‘I’m stronger than you think.’ whilst also saying ‘fuck you.’ 

Byul shimmied to the end of the bed, grabbed her cane and tried to quickly pull herself up into a standing position. She still wasn’t quite right and in her haste to stand she ended up pulling her leg too hard and fell back onto the sheets with a painful groan emitting from her gritted teeth. 

Yongsun rushed over and helped her alpha into a sitting position on the bed. Her wounds were still very much healing and require slow and gentle movements, not fast and abrupt. 

“I’m going with you.” Byul almost spat between gritted teeth. 

The princess smiled as calmly as she could to her alpha and cradled her head between her hands. “You can’t.” She said simply as she rested their foreheads together. 

“I need to be with you so I can keep you safe.” Byul whispered. “I can’t keep you safe if I’m not around you.”

“I’m keeping you safe by making sure you stay here.” Yongsun sighed. “In this wing, you’re protected by my guards but in any other wing, my fathers guards will be on high alert for you.”

Byul shook her head and it knocked slightly painfully against Yongsun’s. She swallowed the lump in her throat as she almost cried out, “Please let me come with.” 

The princess didn’t want to pull the sister card out, but she knew mentioning them would encourage Byul to stay behind. 

“Byul, my sweet, loving, caring, wonderful Byul.” She kissed the alpha’s forehead. “You need to stay here with your sisters. You need to keep them safe.” 

The alpha looked down to her lap and cleared her throat. She took a few deep breaths before nodding at her omega. 

“Okay.” Was all she said. 

Knowing better than to force the alpha to say more, Yongsun helped Byul into a standing position and together they dressed as a weird silence fell upon them. Yongsun snuck glances at her upset looking alpha but waited for Byul to speak her mind rather than forcing the subject upon them. Yongsun knew that in Byul’s mind, thoughts were racing around like bloodhounds chasing a rabbit. 

Byul felt weak. Byul’s never felt this weak before. Everything she and Yongsun did was together. Except this. Was Byul too weak to protect Yongsun? Probably. But that wouldn’t stop the alpha from lunging in front of her omega to protect her if needed. In her mind she knew Yongsun was right. Byul needed to stay behind just in case someone from the kings royal guards decided to take an interest on the princess’ mysterious guests. 

She sighed inwardly. One day she will protect Yongsun just as much as Yongsun has protected her. 

Once they were dressed, Sooyoung took them both into the dining hall. Seulgi and Yesol were already sat down and wolfing their breakfasts like someone was about to snatch it away from them, Wheein and Hyejin sat side by side as Hyejin forced Wheein to try different types of foods and giggling at her reactions and Yonghee and Sungyeung were smiling fondly at the two omega children. 

With the help of Yongsun, and funnily enough Sungyeung, Byul was seated next to Yesol and Yongsun. The alpha was quiet as she ate her food. Yongsun tried to get a conversation out of her but gave up in the end and proceeded to talk to her sister instead. 

A warm hand clutched at the princess’ under the table and Yongsun smiled. She knew Byul wasn’t angry at her and this was her way of showing it. The gesture translated to Yongsun as ‘I’m not mad, I just don’t want to talk. I still love you.’ She gently squeezed her hand back and continued her conversation with Yonghee. 

After a while a knock came at the door. Sooyoung opened it to reveal a few of the kings guards. They bowed at the table and stood off to the side waiting for their future queen to leave with them. Yonghee worriedly looked from them to her sister, but Yongsun’s focus was on her alpha’s. 

They seemed to communicate without words. Yonghee noticed a while ago that whenever one was upset or worried or even angry, the other would gently rest their foreheads together and it was like an instant cure. Suddenly everything with them was okay. Yonghee knew that their bond was powerful, not matter what obstacle got in their way, they’d face it together and come out of it together. 

Except this time. This time their foreheads rested against one another and Yongsun gently kissed the alpha on the lips. The two little omega’s to Byul’s right gagged causing Hyejin and Wheein to snicker behind their hands. And then, Yongsun stood up and left.

She left Byul. 

She left her alpha sitting there with a sad expression on her face as her eyes bore holes into the doors Yongsun walked out of. Yonghee was so confused. Ever since the alpha was beaten by a few of the kings guards, Yongsun refused to let her out of her sight. Yonghee was almost gobsmacked when she heard that her sister allowed the alpha to go back home to the village. 

Yesol reached across and held onto one of Byul’s hands. She flashed the alpha a brilliant smile before jumping up and sitting down across Byul’s lap. 

“She will be okay.” The child whispered and she buried her small head on the alpha’s chest, just under Byul’s chin. 

“I hope so.” The alpha whispered back sadly. 

_______________

Yongsun kept her head held high as she was escorted into the main wing of the palace. Guards and servants alike bowed to her as she walked. She was glad that they still recognised her as a princess and that her father hadn’t stripped her of the title. 

The guards led her into the king’s study and bowed to her as they left her inside. She was alone with her thoughts for a few minutes until her father finally entered. 

“Yongsun!” He exclaimed as he opened his arms wide enough for his daughter. 

The princess looked him up and down but didn’t dare go anywhere near him. The trust she once had for that man was broken. Broken, spat on and rubbed in the dirt. 

His face fell as he retracted his arms. He knew Yongsun wasn’t an idiot. He knew she was incredibly perceptive and arguably the most intelligent omega he’s ever known, that’s why he wanted her to be a queen. But right now her intelligence was seeing right though him and he hated it. 

Yongsun took the a few seconds to really look at her father as silence fell around them. His face was ragged, he looked like he hasn’t slept in months. His hair was half up, half down as though he did once have it in a neat bun on top of his scalp, but it carelessly fell. He hadn’t shaved in a while either. In short, he looked like one of those homeless alpha’s Byul saved from starving to death in the poor district. 

“I must apologise on behalf of Youngho.” He slowly approached his daughter who looked at him with venom in her eyes. 

“No!” She yelled and held up her hands threateningly. “Don’t you dare blame anything on him. You told him to shoot the arrows at my Byul. He’s going to die because you’re too much of a coward to admit that you’re wrong.” 

The king shook his head. “No, Yongsun, that’s not what happened.” 

“What happened then?” The princess challenged. 

The king sat down and loosened his topknot. He ran a hand through his greasy hair and sighed. “I told him to shoot her and then when I realised who it was I told him to stop but he didn’t listen. Then before I knew it, your alpha was on the floor and my kingdom was up in arms about it.” 

He was lying through his teeth and Yongsun knew it. He knew the people wanted him out. He knew his only chance at keeping the throne is the forgiveness of both Yongsun and that damned alpha of hers. 

“I don’t believe you.” The princess shook her head and let out a loud laugh. “I can’t believe you’d really kill your personal guard, the one you pretend you haven’t been fucking, just to save your own skin.” 

“Yongsun.” He pleaded. “You have to believe me! Why would I lie to you, my own daughter?” 

The princess tapped a finger off her chin dramatically before speaking, “You lie all the time. If you look bad in any of your stories, you change it to make it seem like you’re the good guy.”

“That’s no-“

“What happened to my mother?” 

The king was so taken aback by that, that he had to swallow the lump that formed in his throat before he could continue. His eyes darted around the room and he tried to look as sad as possible. 

“You know what happened.” He mumbled. “She died.”

“How?” Yongsun was not holding back. 

“She was sick...” His voice was breaking. He knew that she knew. 

“She was sick?” Yongsun nodded her head. “Yes, she was sick. Sick of you!” 

“N-no!”

The princess grabbed a nearby book and threw it at her father. “Yes!” She screamed. “She was sick of the torment, the humiliation, the constant rape and she killed herself just so she could get away from you!” 

“No, Yongsun, please understand!”

Yongsun scoffed. “Understand what?”

“She humiliated me!” He roared as tears leaked from his eyes. “She came to me after you were born and demanded things! She, a lowly alpha, demanded things from me, a fucking king! And she did it in front of my court! What was I supposed to do? Bow down to her?” 

“You were supposed to care for her. Protect her. Love her. Do everything you could to make sure she’s happy.” Yongsun’s breath hitched. 

The king stood up and towered over his daughter. “I did love her! I loved her so fucking much, you don’t understand! But she loved another so I tried to convince her to love me. When that didn’t work I tried to force her to love me. And then I realised. I’m the fucking king. She should have been on her hands and fucking knees thanking me for what I did! But she couldn’t stop thinking about that fucking asshole.” 

“So what you mean is, she found someone she actually liked in that fucked up alpha training centre, and you ruined it.”

“She liked him more than me!” He roared as Yongsun took a few steps back. “I’m a king! Who has more power than me? No one. Who has more wealth? No one. Who is better? No one. She should have loved me not some asshole nobleman. So, do you know what I did?” 

Yongsun didn’t want to ask, but her fathers expectant glare was piercing through her. She mumbled, “What?” 

He flashed a sickening grin her way. “I had him killed. If he was dead, maybe she’d love me like she did him.”

“But she didn’t.”

“No.” He shook his head. “She hated me even more, if that was possible. I just wanted her to love me like I loved her.” 

His body slumped to the floor as he began to sob quietly. Yongsun stood off to the side as her own eyes began softly releasing their own tears. They stayed like this for a while. The king, broken and alone, the princess, defiant and strong. 

“I’ve lost everything.” The king whispered. “I’ve lost my love, my daughters and I’m losing my kingdom.”

Feeling slight resentment and an overwhelming feeling of pity, Yongsun crouched down and sat on her knees in front of the king. She moved his hands away from his face and held them in her own grasp. 

“You’re still my father.” Yongsun sighed. “And I’ll always love you, but you’re right. You’ve lost the kingdom.” She wasn’t going to sugar coat it, her father knew that he fucked up and no amount of lying could ever change that. 

He looked up at her and his eyes were red and extremely puffy. She’s never seen him like this before. Her father was strong, he never cried, he never shown any emotion other than cheerfulness or anger. But here he is, as broken as they come with his hands clinging onto his daughters and his face a weeping mess. 

“Give up the kingdom.” Yongsun whispered. 

The king looked up in shock and horror. His eyes widened and his mouth opened and closed as though his brain malfunctioned. He shook his head and looked down at the floor. 

“The only way to repair our family’s legacy is for you to give the throne up and let me fix everything.” 

The king scoffed. “Give up my kingdom so you and your alpha will rule instead?”

Yongsun nodded. “Yes. We will rule. Equally. And when we have children, they will rule. We will continue our family legacy and it will be strong, but that will only happen if you give up the throne.” 

The king nodded and stood back up on shaky legs. “I’ll think about it.” He mumbled as he reached for the door. 

“Oh, father.” Yongsun called. As he turned around, the princess continued, “Don’t kill Youngho. He did nothing wrong except follow your orders. Do the decent thing and free him.” 

He nodded again and admitted. “I did want your alpha dead and I think a part of me still does. I won’t try it again unless she hurts you.” 

And with that, he was gone. 

Yongsun breathed a sigh of relief. If he abdicates, the throne will be hers quicker than expected. If he doesn’t, he’ll surely be assassinated. Yongsun rubbed her temples. Either way, when she ascends to the throne, she’ll have a bloody huge mess to clean up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, now it's getting more interesting 👀 
> 
> Thank you for your awesome support guys! 
> 
> Comment, upvote, smile at the chapter, whatever you do after you read another chapter, hope you're staying safe and staying warm! It's cold out there. :)


	18. The Heat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There’s an M rating for this chapter. I think the title of it tells you why!

Ever since Yongsun confronted the king, there was a very noticeable shift within the palace. Every servant and guard seemed to be more on edge than ever. Word of what Yongsun did spread around the palace like wildfire. Nothing like good old fashioned royal gossip to keep the rumour tree growing. 

Byul was stuck to the princess’ side as though someone fused them together. Although she still had to use the cane to walk anywhere, she managed to keep up with the omega wherever she went. Getting up stairs was difficult, however, and did require the help of the princess. 

Yongsun trusted her father as far as she could throw him. Which to say, isn’t very far. But he did cancel Youngho’s execution and instead kept him in the dungeons locked up in a cell that resembled more of a suite than anything else. 

She visited him once and he sat there with a stone cold look on his face. He wasn’t a man with regrets and he certainly didn’t regret trying to kill Byul. If the king asked him to, he’d happily do it again. The king called him loyal, Yongsun called him a blind fool. 

The princess could feel her health deteriorate rapidly over the span of a few days. She fainted randomly, her appetite couldn’t stomach more than a few mouthfuls and her vision began blurring slightly. She checked over with Yerim and the medic confirmed that her heat was due very soon. 

She tossed and turned on the sweat covered bedsheets and even accidentally kicked Byul out of bed once. Even though it was hilarious, she couldn’t bring herself to laugh at her alpha. Especially considering the state of her shoulder. 

Yongsun begged and pleaded with Yerim to find a way to postpone her heat for another few months. There was no way she could leave the palace in this sort of state even if it was just for a week. But the beta shook her head sadly and explained how it was too late for any sorts of medications to work. 

Telling Byul was the hardest part. She didn’t know how the alpha would react. Sure, she’d be happy at joining the omega during her heat, but she’d be conflicted about leaving her sisters behind in the palace. Yongsun really did not want to hear Byul reject her especially after seeing how the alpha reacted to the mention of the omega’s heat a few months ago. 

She sucked in a deep breath as she entered her bedroom and spotted the alpha lazily reading a children’s book in the corner of the room. Byul giggled and sniggered at the words as she was lost in a world of literature. 

Yongsun sat down opposite and softly pulled the book out from Byul’s hands. The alpha pouted and tried to snatch the leather bound object back but Yongsun tossed it gently away so the alpha could focus all of her attention on her omega. 

“How’s your leg?” She asked. 

Byul nodded her head. “Not bad. I still need my cane to walk properly, but it doesn’t hurt anywhere near as much.”

“That’s good.” Yongsun smiled and took the alpha’s hands in hers. “How about your shoulder?” 

“It’s... healing.” Byul shrugged. “Yerim said that it could take a while to get back to normal, but it’s healing nicely.” 

Yongsun hummed in response and watched as Byul began flexing her sore shoulder. It looked strong enough to carry a sack or two of rice, but was it strong enough to hold up Byul’s weight during Yongsun’s heat?

“My heat starts soon.” Yongsun whispered as though her heat was a shameful secret. 

Byul’s eyes widened and she broke out in a toothy grin. “Does that mean I can join you?” 

“Do you think you’re up to it? With your shoulder being in such a state, I mean?” 

“Fuck my shoulder.” Byul excitedly exclaimed. “Do you want me to accompany you during your heat?” 

“Of course I do.”

“Then I will happily endure pain a thousand times worse than this just to spend your heat with you.” 

“Oh, Byul.”

___________________

Getting out of the palace was easy enough for the princess. The palace is equipped with a secret passageway that’s only to be used to help the royal family escape during a siege. Only a select few people know about its existence and that select few has doubled in a short space of time. 

Leaving the palace through the front gates would have been stupid. Yongsun’s heat would have started before they even got past the first wave of protesters. Even though they were technically on the princess’ side, it would have been very hard to move without crushing half of them. 

Byul held onto Yongsun’s hand during the entire eight hour carriage ride to their ‘holiday home’. She could smell the omega’s transition and growled at anyone who came near her. She may not look scary with her sore shoulder and her cane, but one glare could send the fiercest warriors running for the hills. 

As soon as they reached the home, Byul whistled in appreciation. It was like a palace away from the palace. Huge stone walls protecting at least ten acres of land. Beta guards patrolled up and down and aimed arrows at anyone who came close. 

Yongsun pulled out a pillow from the cartridge and carried it like a baby. It was Byul’s from her bedchamber. She whisked it away into the home and straight up the stairs where she usually lay her nest. 

The alpha waited downstairs for her omega. An alpha, even when they were the ruling class, must never impede on an omega’s nest. It was something so sacred to the omega’s that it was deemed down right disrespectful and disgraceful to enter their nest uninvited no matter if the alpha was mated or not. 

So Byul waited as Sooyoung began milling about making them a light snack. Sooyoung was the only servant Yongsun would allow to come with. She was Yongsun’s most trusted servant and she knew the omega would look after them both. 

Yongsun’s nest consisted of Byul’s pillow, the blanket they both share at a nighttime, Byul’s home clothes and a few books. The entire nest smells like the alpha and it eased Yongsun in ways the omega didn’t think was possible given their current climate. 

She lay in her bed downstairs with her head on Byul’s chest. She could feel her heat coming with a vengeance. She did delay it once already due to Byul getting shot and knew that it was going to be a long and tiring heat. 

“When I wake up, it’ll start.” She mumbled into Byul’s chest. 

“I’ll take care of you.” Byul whispered as Yongsun’s eyes closed. “I promise.” 

________________

“Byul, I need you to wake up.”

Byul was awoken by Yongsun climbing on top of her and biting her neck hard. She groaned as she took one whiff of Yongsun and felt herself growing hard at the scent of her omega in heat. As soon as the alpha’s eyes opened, Yongsun pulled her on top of her. 

The alpha couldn’t help but grind herself on the omega’s leg just to get some sort of relief for herself. She all but ripped off her night shirt and tossed it to the side before helping the omega undress too. 

The moon was still high in the sky as they kissed under its approving light. Their kisses were desperate and their teeth clashed as they fought one another for any type of dominance. Yongsun’s tongue forced its way into Byul’s mouth and they both moaned in unison when their tongues met. 

Byul removed the last bits of clothing left on her body and this time began to grind her cock against Yongsun’s entrance. The omega withered under the alpha and opened her legs wider to entice the alpha to take her then and there. 

Gripping her cock hard and giving it a few pumps to relieve some of the pressure, Byul aligned it with the omega’s entrance and waited for any sort of confirmation from the princess. 

“I’ll take care of you.” The alpha repeated the promise she made a mere few hours ago. 

“Please Byul.” The omega begged. 

Byul nodded and slowly began to insert her cock into the princess’ core. She could feel Yongsun’s walls clamping down on her member, and it did nothing but push the alpha on. She wanted to be deeper, deeper than ever before. She wanted to knot her omega and mark her as hers and hers alone. 

“Fuck, you’re so wet.” Byul moaned into Yongsun’s ear who just whined in return. 

Once the alpha was fully inside the omega, she began to slowly pump herself in and out. Still conscious about the wounds on her leg, she found a steady rhythm that they both enjoyed without causing more damage to her wounds. 

Yongsun moved her hips in sync underneath her and moaned obscenely into her ear when Byul began to grind down a little harder. She bit the alpha’s ear and got a groan of pure unfiltered pleasure in response, so she bit down again only harder this time. 

“Fuck.” The obscenities coming from the princess’ mouth was a turn on on its own for the alpha. 

The first wave of pleasure came after a particularly hard thrust and it hit Yongsun like a falling tree branch. By complete surprise. She withered as her legs clamped down around the alpha’s thighs and her nails made tracks in the perfect skin of Byul’s back. 

Byul could feel the princess orgasm around her cock as her walls constricted around her. The alpha began to slow down to give Yongsun some sort of reprieve but the omega just thrust herself upwards with the warnings of “Don’t you dare stop.” 

Growling, the alpha continued her fast and hard pace from before. She held up most of her weight on her left arm to relieve the pain on her right, but in all honesty, she couldn’t feel any sorts of pain right now. All she could feel was the pure pleasure of her omega around her. 

After a few more particularly hard thrusts she could feel her knot forming and slamming off Yongsun’s entrance. The omega felt it too as her eyes snapped open and she pulled Byul impossibly closer to her. Her legs, that faltered after her first orgasm, rose back up to wrap back around the alpha’s thighs in an attempt to slip the knot inside her.

Their foreheads rested against one another as they both moaned loudly when Byul’s knot was finally inside her omega. Her thrusts ceased for a second or two as they both adjusted to the knot. 

“Keep going.” Yongsun whispered as she wrapped her arms around the alpha’s neck to keep her in place. 

Byul nodded as she pulled the omega in for a passionate kiss and began to thrust back into her omega until they were firmly locked in together. It wouldn’t take much for either of them to reach their climax’s. Byul’s fast and hard pace was tipping them both over the edge. 

“Look at me.” Byul said in a quietly demanding tone. 

Yongsun forced her eyes open and stared into her alpha’s chocolate brown eyes. It only took a few more thrusts for them both to finally reach their peak together. The princess’ walls clamped down on the alpha’s knot as an almighty orgasm ripped through the omega. Byul couldn’t hold on, and in all honesty, she didn’t want to either. She emptied everything she had into her omega as she continued pumping inside her. 

The princess stared up at her alpha with tired eyes. She smiled and her eyes turned into little crescent moons. 

“I love you.” She whispered just before exhaustion took over and her eyes closed. 

“I love you too.” Byul whispered back. 

________________

Heats for omega’s were designed for reproductive purposes. They were never meant for pure pleasure. It was up to the alpha or beta to make it pleasurable. One of the main reasons why Yongsun hated her heats was because they were of no use to her. They were an inconvenience, a waste of nearly two weeks of her life. She couldn’t remember most of what happened during her heats when she spent them alone. All it did was invoke a feeling of loneliness and make her crave companionship whenever she’d wake up alone. 

Now it was different. Now she had a mate. 

Byul made sure to take care of her. Whenever Sooyoung would bring them food, Byul was there feeding her. Whenever Sooyoung would bring them fresh sheets, Byul would hold her as the handmaiden cleaned their bed. Whenever Yongsun whined as another bout of heat hit her body, Byul was there within a moments notice. 

With gentle kisses and slow movements of her hips, Byul once again watched as her omega fell asleep with her alpha knotted inside her. She lay kisses over Yongsun’s sleeping face as she turned them around slowly so the omega was lay on Byul’s chest. 

She stroked the princess’ back and smiled at her lovingly. She couldn’t help but wonder what she did to deserve Yongsun’s love. She was just a simple thief. A simple thief that was cocky enough to think she could steal from the princess. She wondered when Yongsun began to fall for her. There was no reason for the princess to be nice to her when she broke into the palace continuously. Any other royal would have had her beheaded then and there. 

A loud snore from the omega snapped Byul away from her thoughts. The desperate desire to not be sold into slavery was what brought them together. And together they were going to eradicate it and make every alpha within Yongsun’s kingdom free. 

She smiled down lovingly at her omega and kissed the top of her head. All she felt for this woman was pure adoration and a love she didn’t think she was capable of giving. This was her princess, her omega, her soulmate, her everything. She’d live and die by Yongsun’s side. 

Wrapping her arms tightly around her omega’s shoulders, the alpha finally succumbed to sleep with a smile on her face. 

_______________

They sat up on Yongsun’s bed picking at the fruits Sooyoung dropped off for them. It was the final few hours of Yongsun’s heat and she was honestly sad that it was over. Never before had she enjoyed her heat as much as she had with Byul. Even now she was sat in the alpha’s lap with her legs wrapped around Byul’s waist whilst her alpha fed her from the tray to her right. 

“I love you.” Yongsun whispered as she rested her forehead against Byul’s. “I love you so much. If you did die, I think I would too.” She confessed. 

Byul gulped at the confession. Yongsun’s death was not feasible in her eyes. Not possible and definitely not happening whilst Byul still had air in her lungs.

She reached up and cupped Yongsun’s cheeks gently with her warm hands. Softly, she pressed her lips against her omega’s and felt the princess sigh against her. They stayed like this for what felt like a wonderful eternity, but in reality lasted only a few seconds until Byul pulled away. 

“Give me your hand.” Byul gently asked. 

Without hesitating, Yongsun removed her right hand from around the alpha’s neck and placed it in the open palm of Byul’s hand. The alpha moved it so it hovered over her heart and she pressed down against her chest. 

“This heart belongs to you. It beats for you. You’re the only person who’s never made me feel like a burden. You make me feel special. You make me feel loved in the most unconditional of ways. You’ve made a lonely alpha from the poorest parts of the kingdom feel important. I love you too.” She whispered the last part again Yongsun’s lips. 

A shiver made its way down Yongsun’s spine and her eyes turned darker. Her kisses became more heated as she took off her loose silk dress and pressed her naked chest against her alpha’s clothed one. 

“Again?” Byul asked softly when their lips parted. Yongsun just nodded an affirmative and watched as Byul tore off her own clothes and moved to place Yongsun on her back. 

The omega stopped her and pushed her back. “Let me take care of you, Byul.” 

Byul nodded and scooted back on the bed so that her back was flush against the headboard. Yongsun pulled her into a kiss that displayed every emotion she felt towards her alpha. She bit Byul’s bottom lip and smirked smugly at the pleasurable groan that emitted from the alpha’s mouth. 

Now that she was fully conscious and in her right mind, she was able to be more controlling than before. She lightly grasped Byul’s member and gave it a few agonisingly slow strokes that made her alpha grind herself against the princess’ hand. 

Lining up Byul’s member with her soaked entrance, Yongsun slowly took the whole cock inside and gasped at the pleasure. She watched as Byul’s head fell back and she bit her own lip at the sight. Grabbing Byul’s limp arms, she placed them on her hips and encouraged the alpha to touch her as much as she could. 

Still mindful of the wounds on Byul’s leg, Yongsun slowly pumped herself up and down Byul’s long shaft. She moaned filthily into her alpha’s ear when Byul began to gently move her hips to meet the princess’. 

“Fuck, Yong.” She heard Byul say through their cloud of pleasure. It did nothing but spur the omega on. 

Their slow and sensual movements turned fast and hard once the alpha’s knot formed. Byul pushed herself into Yongsun causing them both to moan loudly as the alpha’s knot began catching on Yongsun’s entrance. 

A few more downward thrusts from the princess and the alpha’s knot was fully inside her with no hopes of getting out. Their arms wrapped fully around one another as their mouths met more ferociously than before. 

Their moans were muffled by each other’s mouths as they reached their orgasms together. Byul couldn’t help the groan that escaped her mouth when Yongsun bit down hard on her bottom lip as she rode out her own high. 

The omega collapsed on top her her alpha and nuzzled into her neck. Byul lifted her omega’s head up gently and placed a loving kiss upon Yongsun’s lips before slowly sinking back down into the bed and pulling the sheets over their body. 

“I love you.” She whispered into Yongsun’s hair as the princess succumbed to sleep. 

________________

Their ride back to the palace didn’t seem as long as the ride going to the ‘holiday home’. They sat almost on top of each other with Byul feeding Yongsun a wide variety of fruits Sooyoung packed. The handmaiden watched as the two giggled amongst themselves as though they were the only two people in the world. 

The kingdom was still in disarray. Smoke filled the front of the palace walls as more and more rioters made their voices heard. Bonfires were placed in various parts of the kingdom with mannequins of the king burning inside them. 

Yongsun was glad she couldn’t see anything outside the palace walls. The king was still her father and despite the many atrocities he has done, to her he didn’t deserve to die in the streets like a dog. She wanted him to live and watch as she fixed everything he and his predecessors destroyed. 

Her servants greeted her as she returned. They helped Byul out of the carriage first and Yongsun handed her her cane to help her balance her weight perfectly. Byul held out a hand for the princess to take and grinned proudly as she helped the princess down. 

“We have prepared a banquet for your return.” A servant bowed to the princess and her alpha. 

“Excellent.” Yongsun smiled. “We’ll be right there.” 

They were led into the dining hall. Food aligned every inch of the table and various amounts of alcohol - including Yoon’s homemade soju - was placed on a separate table towards the back of the hall. 

Wheein, Hyejin, Seulgi, Yesol, Yonghee and Sungyeung were all seated and waiting patiently for them. As soon as their arrival was announced, all six of them stood up and bowed respectfully as they entered. The two little omega’s ran at their sister and accidentally toppled the alpha over. Instead of getting angry and yelling at her sisters, Byul just laughed and hugged them harder than before. 

Yongsun sat next to her sister and waited for Byul to sit on the other side of her. As soon as the alpha and her sisters were seated, servants milled around pouring them drinks. They handed out each glass of wine individually, orange juice for the two pouting omega children, and watched as all six stood up and raised their glasses. 

“To my queen.” Byul yelled proudly causing Yongsun to blush a very deep shade of crimson. 

Whilst the others laughed at the blush on Yongsun’s face and began to yell cheers of their own, Byul took a huge gulp of the liquid in her glass. The taste was slightly off and it made her visibly grimace. She took another quick swig just to confirm that something was off about the wine and as soon as it slid down her throat, her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she collapsed. 

Several voices were heard over the intense beating of her heart in her ears. She felt her mouth begin to foam and her body shook violently. She couldn’t see anything except the darkness of her own eyelids as she succumbed to unconsciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is important for a few different reasons. Reasons you will not know until next week!
> 
> Please don’t hate me too much. 
> 
> Comments and Upvotes always welcomed! 
> 
> Also, I was thinking when this is finished, about doing another historical AU, but with a different edge to it. More tragedy and heartbreak than anything else. Wondering if anyone would be interested?


	19. The Swing Of Death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title pretty much explains the need for a TW rating on this chapter.

Byul’s body shook violently against the cold wood of the halls floor. Her hands clawed at her neck as foam emitted from her mouth and left a small puddle next to her head. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she gasped desperately for air. 

Yongsun fell to her knees quickly and crawled towards her alpha. She held Byul’s head between her hands as she barked out orders to anyone that could hear her. 

“Get Yerim!” She screamed. “Bring Yerim here now!”

Her voice was drowned out by the ringing in her ears. She felt as though she was underwater. Time seemed to stand still as she watched her alpha shudder and shake on the floor. 

The distant screams of Seulgi and Yesol couldn’t be heard, neither could the screams coming from Wheein. All Yongsun could hear was the sound of her own heart beating violently away in her ears. She felt two pairs of arms grab her and pull her away from Byul. Even though her limbs felt heavy and she felt weak, she fought against the pull. 

Yonghee wrapped her arms around her younger sister and held her close. Sungyeung kneeled next to his wife and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. He felt just as helpless as the rest of them. 

The princess could barely see out of her tear filled eyes. All she could see was Byul lying there clinging on to whatever life she still had left. From the corner of her eye she could see Seulgi and Yesol being held back by Hyejin. She couldn’t bring herself to look at Wheein. 

The doors opened so slowly and Yerim appeared. She held something in her hand and she ran almost in slow motion towards the alpha. Yongsun’s pretty sure she’s screaming, although she couldn’t hear anything but her heart beating away in her ears. 

Yerim fell to the floor and poured something into the alpha’s mouth. Whatever it was seemed to calm Byul down. The hand gripping her throat fell limply at her side and she began breathing normally again. Yongsun could see the alpha’s chest rise and fall steadily and her eyelids open. 

The princess forced her way out of her sisters grasp and scrambled towards her alpha. She almost pushed Yerim out of the way as she cradled Byul’s head in her hands. 

“Byul.” Yongsun cried. “I thought.... I thought...” 

The alpha looked up at her omega and smiled as best as she could. “I-I’m okay.” She croaked out. 

“Yerim.” Yonghee stood up and slowly moved towards the medic with a skeptical look on her face. “How did you find the antidote so quickly?” 

“I didn’t.” The beta blinked a few times as she held out the small glass bottle. “I was sitting in the royal infirmary and Youngho came in-“

“Youngho? He should be in the dungeons!” Sungyeung yelled out. 

Yerim nodded. “He should, but he wasn’t. The king released him apparently. He gave me that and warned me that the king forced a servant to poison Byul and that this was the only known antidote.” 

The princess stood up angrily and glared at the medic. She stomped over to her. Byul could feel the floor move and shake with every footstep. Her eyes were half opened and she couldn’t move her body but her mind was wide awake and listening. 

“Youngho gave you that?” Every word the princess spoke came out like acid. 

Yerim nodded and watched in horror as the once calm princess became flooded with anger. Her cheeks were turning red and her nostrils flared as she let out an almighty scream. Everyone, including the guards, covered their ears in fear that the princess’ scream would deafen them. 

Standing up straight, Yongsun marched to her guards. Byul couldn’t see her anymore. Her two sisters broke free from Hyejin and sank to their knees besides their sister. The alpha tried to smile reassuringly at them but it did nothing to ease their fears. 

“I want all of my guards here in twenty minutes.” Yongsun’s authoritative voice boomed around the room. 

“Mine too.” Yonghee nodded at her sister. 

As they waited for the guards to assemble, Yerim raced back to the infirmary and brought back a stretcher to carry Byul on. With the help of a weeping Wheein and a stoney faced Hyejin they placed Byul softly on the stretcher and lifted it in the air. 

“I’ll take her to your room.” Yerim bowed at the princess. 

Yongsun glanced at Byul’s glazed looking face and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. She could see the corners of her alpha’s lips lift slightly when she pulled away. She didn’t have enough time to savour Byul’s smile as the alpha was whisked away towards Yongsun’s bedroom. 

The guards stood to attention side by side. The number of her guards tripled since the king tried to have Byul killed. Most of the guards that stayed within the palace only did so to support their family’s. Yongsun’s sure they wouldn’t actually lay down their lives for the king. 

The princess glared at them. They were supposed to protect her and everyone in the princess’ wing. What were they doing whilst Byul’s drink was poisoned? What if Yongsun drank it before Byul? The thoughts that swirled around in her head infuriated her even more. 

“The king has once again attempted to murder my alpha.” Yongsun yelled loudly enough so that every guard could hear her. “I want the king to pay for what he’s done. He’s lost his guards, he’s lost his court, he’s lost his daughters and now he’ll lose his head!” 

_______________

Wheein carefully placed Byul on top of the princess’ bed as Hyejin lifted the sheets over the alpha’s body. Wheein smiled softly at Hyejin before pulling the sheets back down. 

“It’s too hot, she’ll sweat.” The small alpha said gently. 

Hyejin nodded as she pulled a chair back towards the bed and watched as Wheein sat down. The alpha took her friends hand in hers and watched as Byul’s eyelids began to flutter open and then closed. 

“She’ll be okay.” The omega whispered. “Yerim will take care of her.” 

“I know.” Wheein nodded. “I just can’t help but worry. This is the second time the king has tried to kill her. Whilst he’s still alive Byul has to be careful. Everything she does could result in her death. She’ll have to be lucky each and every time she does something. The king only has to be lucky once and she’s gone.” 

The alpha’s voice cracked horribly as her chin wobbled. The tears were overflowing Wheein’s eyes and stained her fluffy cheeks. Hyejin’s heart was pulled and she wrapped her arms around the alpha. She gently kissed Wheein’s head as the alpha sobbed. 

Yerim watched their embrace from the corner of the room. She gathered as many supplies as she could to help soothe Byul’s throat and stomach from her small office within the royal infirmary. The antidote may have saved her life, but she’s unsure of the after effects the poison could have on her body so she brought anything that she thought could help. 

The look on Yongsun’s face was haunting for the medic. It was somehow worse than when Byul was hit with arrows. This time Yerim knew that the king was going to pay for his crimes against the alpha. He was a man with nothing else to lose anymore. He knew his time was up and he wanted to take away someone who he thought was the cause of everything that went wrong with his reign. 

She shook her head gently and made her way to the alpha, now was not the time to think about the king. Now was the time to help the poor alpha that lay on the princess’ bed. Placing a hand on Wheein’s shoulder she motioned her head to try and get the small alpha to move so she could see to Byul. Wheein looked so heartbroken as Hyejin softly pulled the smaller girl away. They sat together at the foot of the bed with the omega’s arms wrapped around the alpha’s shoulders. 

Yerim mixed up a tonic to soothe Byul’s throat and gently tipped it into the alpha’s mouth. She coughed and spluttered lightly as the liquid ran down her throat but luckily she was awake enough to swallow. 

Yongsun stormed into the room and ran straight for her alpha. The first thing she did when she hopped on the bed was cradle Byul’s head in her hands. The tears in her eyes stopped flowing and was replaced by sheer anger. But a weakened smile from her alpha made her forget about her father for a few seconds and focus solely on Byul. 

“How is she?” Yongsun asked desperately. 

“F-fine.” Byul stuttered. 

Yerim smiled sadly at the alpha before turning to the princess. “She’ll be okay for now. I don’t know what the poison was or the long term effects it will have on her, but for now, she’s fine.”

The medic’s explanation should have been enough to quell the anger inside Yongsun. Byul will be okay. She grit her jaw. She shouldn’t have to be okay because that asshole she calls a father shouldn’t have tried to kill her once again. 

A whimper from the bottom of the bed made Yongsun aware of Wheein and Hyejin. She craned her neck slightly so she could see them better. Wheein’s shoulders were shaking and Hyejin’s arms were a small comfort for the alpha. Her anger spiked again. 

“I’ve instructed my guards to raid the palace at sundown and capture the king.” Yongsun said matter of factly. “He promised me he wouldn’t try this shit again.”

“Yongsun...” Byul moaned. 

The princess’ attention snapped to her alpha. Her eyes were on high alert as she stroked the alpha’s forehead. 

“Byul?” She asked. 

The alpha shook her head. “Don’t let your anger define who you are. You’re not a murderer.” 

Yongsun nodded. “I know. I’m not killing him because he’s already killed himself.” 

_____________

The king sat on his throne awaiting any news on his daughter. He was informed that she had arrived an hour ago with her alpha in tow but had no news after the fact. His legs shook against this throne and his eyes darted towards any type of noise he heard. 

Youngho entered through the sliding doors in front of the throne and quickly made his way to the king. He bowed lowly when he was close enough and waited for the king to speak before he stood upright. The king waved his hands and ordered everyone except for Youngho out. 

“Is it done?” The king asked once everyone had left. 

Youngho nodded. “Yes, your majesty.”

“Good.” His hands were shaking but he put them in his lap so Youngho wouldn’t notice. “It should only take a few more minutes and then this dark cloud that resides over the palace will be gone.”

Instead of responding, Youngho gulped audibly and moved to stand beside the king. His eyes shifted from the back of the kings head to the sliding doors. He knew it was only a matter of time before the princess’ guards stormed the throne room. 

Another few hours passed and the sounds of a war cry was heard outside and Youngho closed his eyes. He let out a huge breath and unsheathed his sword. Standing in front of the king, he raised his sword high in the air and waited for them. 

The king sighed and stood up. He placed his hand on Youngho’s shoulder and smiled at his guard. He shook his head subtly and smiled as nearly fifty men broke into the throne room and dragged the king and his guard away in chains. 

________________

All Yongsun wanted to know was why. Why did the king go back on his word and poison Byul? Why did he think killing Byul would somehow save his dying legacy? 

Upon hearing the news that the king was arrested and placed into a cell in the dungeons, Yongsun sprang into action. She wore her most official looking hanbok and almost ran down to the dungeons. She left Byul alone with Wheein and Hyejin and knew the alpha would be well looked after. 

The dungeons were dark, wet and very musty. The stench of hopelessness and death hung in the air like a lantern. Yongsun had never been in here before. There were multiple people in here, all of them skinny as though they hadn’t eaten in weeks. They gazed at the princess as she entered. Some bowed their head in respect, some spat at the floor and others just stayed sat down as though they were dead. 

The king was sat in the same cell as Youngho once occupied. His head was in his hands and his body rocked from side to side. At the sound of keys clanging in a lock, he looked up and almost cried in relief that Yongsun was there. 

He stood up and opened his arms wide as though his daughter was actually going to hug the man that keeps trying to murder her mate. Yongsun shook her head and glared at the king with so much disgust that he recoiled in shock. 

“Why?” She spat. 

The kings arms slumped to his side and he sat back down. “I did what I had to do.” He mumbled. 

Yongsun strolled forward and kicked her father as hard as she could. He doubled over in pain as she kicked him over and over again. 

“You promised!” Her voice broke. “You promised you’d leave her alone!” 

“Yongsun, you don’t understand!” He cried as he used his arms to protect his head. 

“Then explain.” 

The king sat up and shook his head. “I can’t. But just know that I did this for the good of the kingdom.”

Yongsun refused to let the tears fall from her eyes. She would not let this man see her cry. She was strong, stronger than anyone gave her credit for. She breathed in a heavy breath before turning around and walking out of his cell. With her last bit of strength, she turned to her father and smirked. 

“Byul’s still alive.” 

She never saw his reaction as she held her head high and walked proudly away from his cell. A small skinny man with a badly balding head and a long beard ran to the doors of his own cell upon Yongsun leaving. 

“Wait!” He called. His voice was so hoarse and broken that the princess was sure he hadn’t spoken in a long while. 

“What?” Yongsun asked. She couldn’t help but look down on this man. 

He smiled and Yongsun got a good look at his rotten teeth. He looked as though someone had knocked them out in a brawl. “You said Byul, right?” 

Yongsun nodded. “That’s right.”

“That’s a strange name.” He commented. 

“You stopped me because of that?” Yongsun scoffed. 

He shook his head. “I once knew someone called Byul. Alpha. Cocky but very kind.” 

The princess’ interest was piqued. She carefully walked to his cell and watched his eyes light up. He looked familiar but Yongsun couldn’t quite remember where she had seen him before. 

“Yeah, that sounds like my Byul.” 

His eyes widened. “Your Byul?”

Yongsun nodded. “Yes.” She knew the implications behind what she said and instead of allowing this man to think she enslaved this alpha as a partner, she moved her hanbok to the side and allowed his eyes to roam Byul’s mark on her neck. 

“Byul mated with you?” He mumbled more to himself than to the princess. “She’s alive.” He stood up straighter and pressed his dirty face against the bars. “What’s her family name?”

“Moon.”

The man collapsed in a heap of hysterical crying. He wrapped his arms around his legs and let the tears flow down his face. His cries echoed off the walls of his cell and were the only thing Yongsun could hear. 

“What about Seulgi? The baby? My Hyojoo?” His hands desperately clasped on to the bars as he looked up at Yongsun in awe. 

“Who are you?”

__________________

Wheein refused to leave Byul’s bedside. She refused meals that meant she had to leave and only spoke when Hyejin was the one that wanted to speak to her. The omega knew that once Wheein was ready to move or talk, then she would. 

She clutched the letter in her hands as she looked over at Wheein. Her father has requested for her to come back home as soon as possible. He was probably wanting to berate her in private over her involvement in the alpha freedom protests. He hated alpha’s just as much as the king. 

She lay a hand on Wheein’s shoulder and smiled as the alpha looked up at her. Wheein’s eyes were full of sadness and it made Hyejin’s heart break. 

“I have to leave.” She whispered. 

Wheein nodded sadly at her and averted her eyes. Hyejin understood what that meant and sighed as she slowly walked out from Yongsun’s room alone. She glanced back at the alpha and shook her head. They had agreed to take things slow but it didn’t mean this rejection hurt any less. 

“Idiot.” Byul mumbled. 

Wheein sat up straight. “Byul? What did you say?”

“I said you’re an idiot.” Byul smiled weakly. “That omega likes you and wants you to go with her, so why are you still here?” 

“But... but, Byul, you’re-“

“I’m fine.” Byul waved her hand. “Stop choosing others over your own happiness. Go and get your omega.” 

Wheein nodded her head enthusiastically and jumped up out of her seat. She ran to the door before turning back and placing a quick kiss on Byul’s forehead and running off in the direction of Hyejin. 

Hyejin was heading towards the usual wall Byul used to climb whenever she wanted to collect Yongsun to take her to the village. She was stood staring at it with tears in her eyes but she shut her eyes tightly and shook her head. Wheein needed more time to get used to Hyejin and the omega was more than happy to wait. But it didn’t make it any less hard on the omega. 

She heard loud footsteps from behind her and her eyes widened in fear. Had a guard finally decided to inspect this part of the palace? Her hands were shaking slightly as she turned and came face to face with a wheezing Wheein. 

“Can I come with?” She panted. 

Hyejin grinned. “Of course.” She held out her hand for Wheein to take. 

The alpha clutched her side to ease the stitch she accumulated as she placed her hand in Hyejin’s and was pulled into the younger’s embrace. Hyejin smelt like the flowers Seulgi liked to pick and her hugs were always safe and warm. 

Hyejin pulled back and placed the softest kiss she could muster on Wheein’s awaiting lips. 

“Let’s go.” She smiled. 

Wheein nodded her head. “Let’s go.”

_______________

Yongsun had the prisoner released and taken to a certain part of the palace. Her orders to the servants was to take care of this man as though he was of royal blood. His whispered confession shook her slightly. She wanted to know more about him, but had to do so with Byul present. At least she now knows why he looked so familiar. 

“Who are you?”

“Moon Yoonsung. Moon Byulyi’s father.” 

Yongsun was in two minds about him. Although he was Byul’s father, he still tried to sell her as though she was nothing more than his property. But he was Byul’s father, not Yongsun’s. It was up to the alpha to decide whether or not her father deserved another chance. 

She sighed to herself as she entered her wing of the palace. Today has been one long headache and all she wanted was to crawl into bed next to Byul and sleep for four days, maybe even several months. 

Byul’s bright shining eyes greeted her as soon as she entered their bedroom and the alpha opened her arms wide. Yongsun almost collapsed into her embrace as she finally allowed herself to break down. She was so exhausted physically and emotionally that she couldn’t stop blubbering in Byul’s arms. 

The alpha waited for Yongsun to collect herself and began soothingly brushing her hands through the omega’s hair. She had again felt like she let the alpha down. Her father had tried to kill her twice and Yongsun was helpless to prevent it. 

As soon as her breathing evened and her tears stopped, Yongsun told Byul everything about her visit with the king but left out the bit about the alpha’s father. That was a conversation for another day. 

Instead she curled up besides Byul and snuggled her head against the alpha’s uninjured shoulder. Wrapping her arm around her alpha’s waist she sighed. 

“There’ll be no trial against the king.” She said in a quiet voice. “He’s admitted to trying to kill you and he’ll be sentenced to death by beheading in a months time.”

“And how do you feel about that?” Byul asked. 

“My desire to protect you is greater than my love for him.” Yongsun answered simply. “I have to protect my family.” 

“Family?”

“Yes.” Yongsun placed a soft kiss on Byul’s cheek. “You, me, Yonghee, the girls, Hyejin and Wheein.” 

Byul grinned down at her omega. Family. She liked the sound of that. She placed a soft kiss on top of Yongsun’s hair and watched as the omega’s eyes began to close quickly. As Yongsun succumbed to sleep, Byul gazed at the princess’ face. She could tell that Yongsun was hiding something from her, presumably something about the king, but she knew the princess would open up to her eventually. 

______________

The kings execution gathered a crowd of thousands. People from all over the kingdom were in attendance and most of them were from the poorer parts of the kingdom. No one showed any type of support for the king, even those who liked him were smart enough to stay quiet. 

Yongsun was sat in the throne close to the execution podium. To her right sat Byul with a sour expression on her face. To her left sat her sister and her husband. Byul did not like the king, in fact she probably had a better reason than anyone else to hate the bastard. But she did not agree with a public beheading. It was barbaric and unnecessary. She shook her head at all those with a bloodlust in their eyes. 

“You don’t have to do this.” Byul whispered across to Yongsun. “There’s still time to call this off and do it privately.” 

Yongsun shook her head. “It has to be done like this.” She sighed. “This is what the people want and I have to give it to them.” 

The king was pushed out onto the podium and lowered onto his knees. He wore a peasants shirt and pants and had everything stripped from him. He faced his daughter and smiled at her. Even though she signed his death warrant, he was still so proud of his little girl that was set to become the queen. 

Youngho pushed past various guards and servants as he tried to get to Yongsun before the king was killed. He even knocked a few guards over in his haste. As soon as he reached Yongsun, he pulled something out of his pocket and aimed it at the princess causing Byul to stand up and shielded the princess from him. 

In his hand was a letter. Addressed to Yongsun from the king. Youngho bowed to the princess and waited for her to take it from him. 

Yongsun touched Byul’s shoulder and gently eased her out of the way. She grabbed the letter and gazed at it looking confused. 

“It’s from the king.” Youngho explained. “Only to be opened after his death.” 

The princess looked from the letter over to her father. He bowed his head to her and even mouthed the words ‘I’m sorry’ to her. A part of her wanted to rip it up in front of him, but another part of her was curious as to what he had to say for himself. 

The executioner came out and the crowd roared with excitement. Yongsun couldn’t bring herself to watch him as he swung his sword around and decapitated her father in front of a roaring crowd. She heard every sound that came from the podium. The slice. The blood spurt. The head falling and rolling. She couldn’t cry, she had to be strong. Strong for the kingdom. When she’s alone with Byul later, that’s when she’ll cry. 

Byul stood up and pulled Yongsun out of her chair and back towards the palace. She knew she shouldn’t have let the princess be in attendance. No matter what they’ve done, no one should see a parent killed like that. 

Yongsun was panting heavily inside their carriage and fanning herself to cool her down. She couldn’t stop her hands from shaking and even threw up on the floor. She held up the letter in her hands and against her better judgement, opened it. 

She was shaking even more violently as Byul opened the carriage for them to let them out. Angry tears stung her eyes as she read her fathers letter over and over again until the words burned a hole in her brain. She held out her hand for Byul to take and the alpha softly pulled the omega out and onto the firm floors of the palace. 

Yongsun felt so sick. Her head was pounding and her stomach was ready to vomit again. She had been feeling like this ever since she sentenced her father to death over one month ago. Black spots began staining her vision and all of a sudden she fell. 

“Yongsun!” Byul yelled as she caught the princess before her body slammed onto the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me a few chapters ago: There won't be many TW chapters!  
> Me now: TW's for everyone!
> 
> Okay so now that the king is gone, there *shouldn't* be any more. But I've said this how many times? So take it with a pinch of salt. 
> 
> As always, whatever you do after a chapter is finished whether that be comment, cry, smile or shrug, do so with great enthusiasm! 
> 
> Also, if you’re interested I’ve been watching a Korean horror series on Netflix called The Kingdom. It gives you a great insight into Korea centuries ago and it’s sooooo good. Highly recommend! Plus zombies so that’s always a good time. 
> 
> Until next time!


	20. The Letter

My dearest Yongsun. 

I hope this letter finds you in time. I hope you don’t destroy it before reading. If Youngho has done what I asked of him then when you do read this, I will be dead. 

I wanted to say first and foremost that I am sorry. It took me nearly killing your alpha all those weeks ago to realise how much the people hate me. That hate has always been there, it did not grow overnight and I realise that now. 

I needed to explain myself and my actions and I could not do that in person. So please, my dear daughter, keep reading. 

Your alpha was seen as a threat to my leadership and my kingdom so I had to do something to ensure the people that the gods were still on our side after the festival. Youngho never misses. When the arrows pierced her shoulder and leg that’s when I knew I lost the support of the gods. I could have had her assassinated easily, I had offers from multiple sources to kill the alpha, but I turned them down. 

I know you love her. And I know how powerful love can be. Believe it or not I loved your mother. I loved her so much that it hurt like a stab wound every day because she didn’t love me back. I know it’s a bit rich coming from me but please treat your alpha like your equal. I didn’t and it’s the biggest regret of my life. 

I did not intend to kill your alpha when you came back from your heat. I kidnapped the family of a poor servant girl and forced her to put the poison in the alpha’s drink only, please don’t punish her. I gave Youngho the antidote to give to your medic so she could save the alpha’s life. 

You’re probably wondering why I did that. It’s hard to explain on paper but I’ll try. 

I considered your offer of abdication and I simply could not accept it. If I abdicate now and live a life of luxury still within the palace, the people will not take you seriously as a queen. If I abdicate and you banish me, the people will hunt me down and murder me. This public execution is better for both of us. You need to be the one to sentence me to death. You need to show your new court and your people that you can make tough choices. You need to show them that you’re on their side. And what better way to do that than to publicly execute me?

I’m writing this whilst you’re on your heat. The plan is about to be put into action. I’m sorry for all the hurt and the pain this will cause. 

I realised that I’ve never told you your mothers name. I don’t know if you’ve heard it from outside sources, but I feel like you have to know it now. Her name was Jisu. You have her smile, her fingers, her eyes. Every time I looked at you you reminded me of her. Yonghee looks more like my mother and she’ll be thankful when she’s sixty and still looks like she’s in her early thirties. But you looked so much like her that it hurt my heart whenever I saw you smile. 

When you and your alpha do have children, please name your daughter Jisu. I gave her a terrible life but you can give her an honourable legacy. 

I’m so proud of the woman you’ve become and I know Jisu would be proud too. You’ll be an amazing queen. 

Your father.   
Kim Jaeheon. 

__________________

“Your majesty.” Youngho bowed his head at his king upon entering the throne room. 

The king looked up from his throne and smiled at his guard. He stood up and slowly made his way from the throne. Youngho was stood side by side with a servant girl from the princess’ wing. She was shaking from head to toe as she dropped to her knees in front of the king. 

“Stand.” The king barked at the girl. She did as she was told but still refused to look at the king. He looked her up and down before snapping his fingers at a few guards to his left and smiled sickly when a family of five was dragged into the room in chains. 

The girls eyes widened in horror as she saw her family bound and gagged with three guards pointing swords at their backs. Her eyes welled up and tears began leaking down her cheeks. 

“You’re going to do something for me.” The king said as he began circling the servant. “I want my daughters alpha dead and you’re the one that’s going to do it.” 

Her body was shaking violently as her hand was forcibly extended by Youngho. The king dropped a small container in her hand and closed her fingers around it. Her eyes were locked onto her enclosed fist as a loud sob rang through the room. 

“Drop the contents of this into that alpha’s drink as soon as they come back from my daughters heat.” The king ordered. “And then sit back and watch that dreaded alpha die.” 

The room was eerily silent. The only noises were coming from the family that tried to reign in their fear. The servant looked at her family and then back at the king and nodded. It was something that she’d regret for the rest of her life, but she’d do anything to protect her family. 

“Good,” The king patted her cheek, “I think we can leave your family in the dungeons until this is all over. Take them away.” 

The three guards dragged the family to their feet and towards the dungeons. The servant girl was shaking so badly that the king wasn’t sure if she was about to collapse or not. He dismissed her with a wave of his hand and she was gone. The only people in the room was the king and his guard. 

“Your majesty, forgive me but I thought you had no intentions of murdering the alpha.” Youngho kept his head bowed as he spoke to his king. 

The king smiled at his guard and held out something in his hand. “The alpha will not die. You will give my daughters medic this and she will save the alpha’s life.” 

“But, why?”

“Because she needs to be the one who kills me.” The king sighed. “And I refuse to be assassinated by a common peasant.”

“You always were dramatic.” Youngho chuckled causing the king to laugh. 

Only a few more days and Yongsun will be back. Only a few more days until the kings fate will be sealed. Only a few more days for him to enjoy his last taste of freedom. 

_______________

Byul paced the corridor outside of their bedroom with her fingers in her mouth trying to ease her anxiety. Yongsun had fainted not so long ago after the kings execution and it did nothing but worry the alpha. 

Yerim was called in not long after the princess’ guards carried her to her room. Byul followed them and yelled at them whenever she thought they were being too rough with the princess. They just rolled their eyes at her and ignored her. 

The alpha was panicking. Yongsun had been sick for a while and with her fainting a few hours ago it scared the alpha into thinking that she’d lose her omega. Angry hot tears welled up in Byul’s eyes but she blinked them away. Now is not the time for tears. Now is the time for her to be strong. 

The sounds of the sliding door opening broke Byul from her thoughts and she almost pounced on the medic as she exited Yongsun’s room. Yerim smiled at Byul’s worried expression and held up a hand to stop the alpha from bulldozing her over. 

“Is she okay?” Was the first thing Byul asked. 

Yerim nodded. “She’s perfectly fine.”

“Perfectly fine people don’t just throw up everywhere and faint!” Byul yelled angrily. 

The medic just smiled wider at the alpha. “Omega’s in her condition do.”

“Condition? What?” Byul was confused. “You just said she was perfectly fine and now you’re saying she has a condition?” 

“Byul, go to her.” Yerim pushed the alpha away slightly and chuckled as she bolted through the door. 

Yongsun was lay smiling on her bed with a loose nightgown on. Her face lit up as Byul came storming into the room. She sat up and almost shrieked as the alpha jumped on the bed and began examining her. 

“Byul!” Yongsun giggled as the alpha lifted her arm up and then her leg as though she was inspecting the omega for wounds. “What are you doing?”

“Yerim said you’ve got a condition!” Byul’s face was the picture of panic. “What condition? Why didn’t you tell me you had a condition?”

Yongsun grabbed Byul’s hands and forced them to her sides. She smiled widely at the alpha as Byul’s eyes rapidly searched Yongsun’s face for any answers. 

“Byul,” The princess placed both of the alpha’s hands on her stomach, “I’m pregnant.” 

“What?” Byul asked with a dumbfounded look on her face. 

“We’re going to have a baby, Byul.” 

The alpha’s heart was hammering away at her rib cage and her eyes welled up with tears again. Her bottom lip shook as she opened her mouth but no words came out. Yongsun smiled at her alpha and pulled her down into a lying position on their bed. She placed the alpha’s head on her stomach and watched as Byul’s hand tentatively reached up and softly massaged the skin on her abdomen. 

“A baby.” Byul whispered. 

“Our baby.” Yongsun whispered back. 

Byul lifted her head up from the omega’s stomach and grinning happily at the princess. Her eyes were full of unshed happy tears as she leaned up and passionately kissed Yongsun. 

“Our baby.” They both said together as they broke apart and rested their foreheads together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This update was never meant to be as long as the others. I think there's 6 maybe 7 chapters left to go on this. 
> 
> But, the news of the day is yes, you all guessed it, Yongsun's pregnant. You guys are so much smarter and well informed than I thought! Haha. 
> 
> The king is dead, yes, and a few of you were disappointed that he wasn't assassinated - I'm sorry. I thought a public execution would be better.
> 
> As always, Comment, Upvote or whatever you do, do so with enthusiasm.


	21. The Enthronement

A disgraced king doesn’t get a funeral. Their remains are left in the piss soaked dirt for the birds and the wild dogs to eat. But after reading their respective letters from their father, both Yonghee and Yongsun decided to give their father a proper burial. Yongsun instructed for her guards to wait until nightfall to collect the former kings body and return it to the palace. He was buried next to his mother in the royal tombs, something Yongsun knew he would have wanted. 

Only Yongsun, Yonghee, Byul and Youngho attended the burial. The less people that knew about the private burial, the better. The oldest Kim daughter shed a few tears for her late father, but the youngest couldn’t bring herself to cry for him. His final letter to her was running rampant in her mind ever since she first read it. 

Byul held her hand tightly as Youngho sealed his tomb. The beta guard looked just as saddened as Yonghee. He had truly grown to love the former king and blamed himself for being utterly helpless when the former king needed him the most. 

Yongsun took a deep breath before turning from her fathers grave and walking with Byul still hobbling besides her with her cane. They exited the royal tombs and immediately Yongsun was swarmed by servants to prepare her for her upcoming enthronement.

The alpha was pushed to the side as Yongsun was whisked away by fussing servants and unhelpful court officials. The princess shot her alpha a look of sympathy before allowing these people to take her away. She smiled weakly at the back of her omega’s head and sighed. 

She crept through the palace and ascended a few flights of stairs before coming to the roof and looking out at the kingdom. The alpha took a seat on one of the cushions of Yongsun’s gazebo and gazed down at her hands. With her hands shaking slightly, she pulled the part of her hanbok that covered her shoulder back and gazed at the scar the arrow left behind. Her shoulder wasn’t as strong as what it once was, but it didn’t cause her as much inconvenience as her leg. Yerim even told Byul that she may not be able to walk without her cane again - something that horrified the alpha. 

So much had happened within the space of only a few months. She almost died twice, the people rioted, the king was executed and now Yongsun’s pregnant and about to become the queen. If someone was to have told Byul two years ago when she was first plotting to steal from the princess about how her life would turn out, she’d have laughed in their faces. 

The sun crept quickly across the sky, occasionally hiding behind the odd cloud. It wasn’t raining for the first time in nearly two weeks. The rain signified an end to the drought and watered the crops across various farms. Life and hope was coming back to the kingdom that suffered so much for so long. 

“Thought I’d find you up here.” Yongsun’s cheery voice broke Byul’s train of thoughts. 

The alpha smiled up at her omega. “It’s a nice place to come and think.”

Yongsun took a seat next to Byul and rested her hand on her alpha’s knee. “What are you thinking about?”

“Everything.” Byul said simply. 

“Anything specific?”

The alpha smiled uncertainly. “We’re having a baby and I’m worried.”

“What about?”

“What if the baby doesn’t like me? What if I mess up? What if-“

“Byul, stop.” Yongsun grabbed the alpha’s face with both hands and forced her to look at her. “Our baby will adore you. You’re not going to mess up. Look at Seulgi and Yesol. You practically raised Seulgi and you definitely raised Yesol all by yourself. Do they not like you? Did you mess up with them?” 

Byul scoffed as a small tear leaked from one of her eyes. “That’s different.” Her voice was so small and fragile that Yongsun felt her heart breaking for her alpha. 

“How?”

“Because they relied on me and only me.” Her voice cracked. “I was alone and the only family those two had. This baby is different. They’re going to have you, Yonghee, Hyejin and Wheein. I just don’t want to mess up.”

“Do you trust me?” Yongsun asked as her hands fell from her alpha’s face and instead clutched Byul’s hands. 

Byul smiled gently and nodded. “With every fibre of my being.”

“Then listen,” Yongsun playfully scolded, “You will be an amazing parent to our child. Our baby will know nothing but love and acceptance from us. They will be born into a free world. One that we created together.”

Byul nodded stiffly causing Yongsun to yank one of her alpha’s hands out and rest them atop of her stomach. The baby was no bigger than a pea at this stage, but Byul could feel them. She smiled at Yongsun for a brief second before the omega pulled her in for a slow and sensual kiss. 

_______________

Yongsun’s enthronement was a simple affair. Normally the deceased monarch gets to lay in the royal tombs surrounded by loved ones as their heir burns incense in the air before heading to the throne room. For Yongsun’s, however, they burned incense around the area where the king was beheaded. The people assumed a wild dog had moved his body in the middle of the night and was happily chowing down on it in a nearby cave. No one knew where the body really was. 

After entering the throne room, Yongsun sat down on the rulers throne and motioned for Byul to sit down next to her. Her royal court stood just below them and bowed their heads to their new queen. In the courtyard below the throne room, various types of servants, guards, bureaucrats and some commoners lucky enough to be allowed entry bowed to the queen four times whilst simultaneously yelling out, “Long live the queen!” 

Yongsun was once again whisked away to change into a different set of clothing before being presented in front of her court and all those in the courtyard. She took a deep and calming breath as Byul handed her the accession edict. 

“My people!” Her voice rang out loudly. “I, Queen Kim Yongsun, promise to rule this kingdom justly and benevolently. This kingdom will no longer be built on the slavery of alpha’s, instead it will be built on equality, compassion and justice. My father allowed this once great kingdom to fall pray to depravity, lust and death. I promise to give all of those stuck within The Fort a real trial by our investigations bureau, I promise to help our poorest citizens with any provisions they need and I promise to end all and any types of slavery within our kingdom.”

The alpha’s within the courtyard cheered with tears in their eyes. Yongsun looked to her left and spotted Byul’s proud smile beaming at her with her two sisters also stood grinning at her. When she looked to her right she saw a few uneasy faces belonging to her slave owning court officials. She inwardly rolled her eyes at them and returned to her speech. 

“All I ask from everyone within our kingdom is understanding and cooperation! We are all a part of this wonderful place, we should make it a save haven for everyone, not just the privileged few!” She ended her speech with a low bow to her subjects and watched in glee as they erupted in cheers. 

Byul was quickly by her side and grinning from ear to ear as Yongsun clung onto her. Seulgi and Yesol ran at her too and, careful not to hurt the queen’s stomach, they hugged at her waist. 

Their embrace didn’t last very long before Yongsun was once again pulled away by her royal court and back into the throne room. Byul sighed as she watched her omega leave again. Her sisters grabbed each of her hands and beamed up at Byul through big and wide eyes. 

“Yongsun’s the queen!” Seulgi excitedly squealed. 

“Does that mean you’re a queen too?” Yesol asked. 

Byul shook her head. Although Yongsun did offer to give Byul a title, the alpha declined. Byul couldn’t see herself as a ‘princess to the queen’ or a duchess. She preferred being just Byul, she didn’t want any meaningless titles to make people feel inferior to her. 

The alpha escorted her sisters, Wheein and Hyejin from the courtyard and back towards the princess’ garden. Now that Yongsun was the queen, a hoard of servants hastened to move all of her things from the princess’ wing of the palace over to the now queen’s wing, which was located on the opposite side of the palace. 

Yongsun had instructed for her servants to transform her old room into a double bedroom for both Seulgi and Yesol. Both girls were eternally grateful to the omega and made sure to shower her with hugs and little kisses whenever they saw their queen. 

They sat down by the small lake inside the princess’ garden and Byul grinned when her sisters ran into the water and splashed one another. A few minutes passed before Hyejin joined them in the water. All that could be heard was the small squeals from all three omega’s. Wheein scooted closer to Byul on the soft grass and grinned at Hyejin. 

“Things going well between you two?” Byul asked noticing the love sick expression on her best friends face. 

Wheein blushed furiously and nodded. “She’s wonderful, Byul.” 

“I’m glad.” The older alpha smiled softly. “Have you...?” She trailed off and wiggled her eyebrows. 

The small alpha gasped. “No!” She almost yelled causing her omega to look up at her confused. “She wants to. But I’m a little scared.” 

“Do you want to?”

Wheein nodded. “Yes, but something inside me keeps freaking out whenever she suggests it.” 

“Have you talked to her about it?”

“Yeah. She’s so easy to talk to and so understanding.” Wheein sighed. “I feel like I’m disappointing her.”

Byul shook her head. “Just keep taking things day by day. Eventually you’ll feel comfortable enough with her that it’ll happen and you’ll never look back.” 

“And then she’ll invite me to her heat.”

“Yep and you’ll get her pregnant and you’ll have little Wheein’s running around everywhere with your dimples and her scary looking nails.”

Wheein laughed. “Not if she takes those herbs that stop omega’s from conceiving during their heats. It’s too soon for little Wheein’s, anyway.”

“Trust me, those herbs don’t always work.”Byul sighed as she distinctly remembered Yongsun grimacing every time she swallowed those rank tasting herbs during her heat. 

“You always told me you’d never be caught with an omega.” Wheein laughed. “‘They’d never ensnare me into mating or siring a child!’ You used to yell to me whenever you were drunk.” 

The older alpha laughed embarrassedly at her friends words and shook her head. “That was before I met Yongsun!” She pushed the small alpha over. 

“I know,” Wheein rolled her eyes, “I’m proud of you for swallowing your alpha pride and opening yourself up to love.” 

Byul grinned at her best friend just as Hyejin flicked water at them both. They recoiled in shock before jumping up in outrage, throwing off their heavy hanboks and diving into the lake to enact revenge upon the young omega’s. 

_______________

Byul sat down on their new bed inside the queen’s bedroom. The sheets were the same, as were the fluffy pillows. The only difference was the view from the balcony. Yongsun’s old room oversaw the wonderful gardens whereas the new view overlooked the kingdom. It served as a reminder to all those who inherited the throne exactly what they governed. 

The sounds of quickening footsteps broke the alpha out of her thoughts just as the door was slid open and Yongsun entered with Sooyoung in tow. The queen smiled tiredly at her alpha as Sooyoung began to help her out of her royal hanbok. A few hard tugs was all it took before the material fell gracefully to the floor. The handmaiden whisked them away and bid the couple a goodbye from the doorway. 

Yongsun lay on the bed and loudly sighed. She was exhausted. Her first full day being queen was ticked off and all she wanted to do was relax with her alpha. She stroked Byul’s back with her nails for a moment until the alpha took the hint and lay down next to her. 

“My queen.” Byul proudly murmured as Yongsun held out her arms for the alpha to snuggle inside. 

“I am so tired.” Yongsun yawned as Byul nestled her head just under the omega’s chin. 

Byul sniggered. “I’ll bet.”

“It’s crazy to think about the last seventy-two hours.” Yongsun began to softly stroke her alpha’s hair. “My father being executed and his letter, Yerim confirming my pregnancy and now my enthronement.” 

“What did your fathers letter say?” Byul asked. 

Yongsun took a huge intake of breath before answering her alpha. She had read his letter nearly fifty times since she received it and still she couldn’t fully understand it. If anything, the letter angered her more than anything else. 

“He manipulated me.” Yongsun whispered. “He knew I wouldn’t kill him and instead decided to take matters into his own hands.” 

“Yong...”

“He said he had no intention of killing you, but I can’t believe that. He had no intention of letting Youngho go down with him, which is why he gave him the antidote. Youngho could have still looked like a hero even if you died because he would have tried to save you.” The queen’s voice cracked. “I can’t help but wonder that if you had died, would I still have gotten a letter from him?”

Byul raised her hand to slowly massage the omega’s stomach. Only light touches with the tips of her fingers. Yongsun sighed as she felt the alpha’s hands ghost over her stomach muscles. 

“He said he didn’t want to be assassinated,” Yongsun laughed bitterly, “He didn’t want to fear for his life every time he stepped foot outside his room. He was a coward in life and in death. He plotted everything perfectly and he made sure that every decision I made was already decided by him.” 

“If he hadn’t tried to kill me again, what would you have done?” Byul asked with a steady voice. 

Yongsun thought about it for a few seconds and sighed. “I’d have done similar to what I did. I’d have still gathered guards to storm his wing of the palace but they would have faced more resistance. I wouldn’t have had him killed, just thrown into the dungeons to live out his life in there.” 

The alpha hummed in response as a serine and clear silence filled the room. Yongsun thought back to the dungeons and to that man that begged to speak to her. She hadn’t had time to visit him since she ordered his release, she was too busy dealing with the king. 

The queen looked over at her alpha and examined her tired looking face. She did look a lot like the man that claimed to be her father. The same nose, the same eyes and even the same wonky looking smile. She watched as her alpha’s fingers danced over the skin on her stomach so delicately as though Yongsun was made of glass. 

“My father used to do this,” Byul started, “In our home we only had two rooms. In one room we’d eat, the other we’d sleep. When my mother was pregnant with both Seulgi and Yesol, my father would massage her belly every night like this.” 

“How did he die, your father I mean.”

Byul sighed heavily as she spoke, “Bandits.” She said simply. 

“But, how do you know he died?”

The alpha sat up and sadly smiled at Yongsun. “Just before my mother was in labour she was so sick. She threw up blood and she was constantly moaning and clutching her stomach. My father stole some money to get her medicine but it was too expensive here so my father and his friends travelled to a different kingdom but bandits got to them first. His friends came back with just his identification tags and told me the bandits killed him. My mother died a day or two later. Her last wish to me was for me to name the baby after my father’s mother, Yesol.” 

“Did you ever find his body?” Yongsun asked. 

Byul shook her head. “By the time his friends went back with weapons they said all that was left was the tags in the ground covered in mud and blood.” 

The queen hummed sadly as she pushed the alpha to lie on her back before snuggling closer to her and placing her head on Byul’s shoulder. They stayed like this for a while, just soaking in each other’s presence without breaking the serenity. Yongsun could hear her alpha’s erratic heartbeat and smiled to herself. 

“Byul.” Yongsun started, half expecting the alpha to have fallen asleep. 

“Yeah?” She mumbled back. 

“There’s someone I wish for you to meet.” Yongsun lifted her head up and locked eyes with her alpha. “Tomorrow I’d like you to come with me towards the servants quarters of the palace.”

Byul nodded a few times. “Who am I meeting?”

“It’s a surprise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Its kinda sad how many people have told me they're disappointed by the kings death. I hope in some way this chapter explains a lot more of the thinking behind the death. If it seems unrealistic, it's because it's not real ;) haha. 
> 
> As always, comment if you want! I think I've lost a few readers recently, but I hope they come back! 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed a new chapter, I am now wrapping up this story and it should be over within maybe 3 weeks. I also made a twitter just in case you wanted to rant at me on there @RikuAino7. I'm not used to twitter though, so bear with me!


	22. The Lost Father

“Please eat something.” Byul practically begged her pregnant mate. Yongsun just looked at the food in front of her and almost turned green. 

“No.” She shook her head as a wave of nausea hit her. 

Byul sighed at the queen and pushed a small bit of rice towards her. “You need to eat. For yourself and for our child.”

“I haven’t thrown up yet.” Yongsun breathed in a heavy breath through her mouth. “As soon as I do, I’ll feel better and then I can eat.” 

The alpha looked at her omega with so much concern and worry that Yongsun repented and ate four or five grains before shuddering and pushing the bowl away. She reached across from her and held on tightly to Byul’s hand. The omega caressed the back of her alpha’s hand before bringing it up to her lips and kissing it oh so gently. The two omega siblings of the alpha gagged and giggled in the back ground, but the mated couple paid them no attention. 

All Byul wants is to protect her family and that includes her unborn child. After everything she went through with her own family, the thought of having children of her own was always laughed at by her. But now that it was a reality and not just some drunken suggestion, she became more possessive and protective of her omega. It didn’t help that the omega in question was now the queen and pushed and pulled in all kinds of directions by her court. When they were alone, that’s when Byul would strike. Yongsun ate appropriate sized portions of food throughout the day, she drank plenty of water as not to dehydrate, she slept properly and Byul made sure she had fun too; even if it was just a splash around in the princess’ gardens with Seulgi and Yesol. 

“Yong....” Byul sighed as she eyed the full plate that the queen pushed aside. 

“Trust me.” Yongsun pleaded. “All I need is to be sick and then suddenly just like magic, I’ll be fine and I can eat.” 

Byul held eye contact with her beloved until she nodded her head and backed down. Yongsun knows her body better than Byul, but Byul was sure to watch her like a hawk to make sure she does finally eat. 

Mere seconds later, the queen stood up with a nauseating look upon her face. Her hand clutched at her face as she turned and bolted from the dining hall. She ran through the small corridors of the palace before leaping outside and upchucking over the gravel. 

A hand swept across her back and held onto her hair. She looked up to see Byul’s bright face smiling down at her. She didn’t have the chance to thank her alpha as another wave of sickness hit her like an avalanche. One of the alpha’s hands was held onto her hair and the other was tracing soothing patterns up and down her back. 

The sickness subsided and suddenly the queen felt perfectly fine. It was like the nausea she felt was the flame of a candle and someone had blown it out. She stood up to her full height and wrapped her arms around her alpha’s waist. She felt Byul’s chest vibrate as she chuckled and felt Byul’s lips against her sweaty forehead. 

“Think you can eat?” Byul asked with one eyebrow raised. 

Yongsun nodded and grinned. “Oh, gods, yes. I’m starving.”

They both giggled and shook their heads at the sounds of Yongsun’s stomach rumbling. As soon as Yongsun’s bottom hit the wooden chair, she devoured almost everything in front of her. Seulgi and Yesol watched on in awe as the queen, who only ten minutes ago was struggling to eat more than a few grains of rice, was suddenly scoffing her face full of all sorts. 

Yonghee arrived not too long later to escort both omega children to their tutoring lessons. Now that they were a part of the royal family, both girls were taught by the very best tutors the kingdom had to offer. Seulgi loved learning, but Yesol didn’t as much. Whereas Seulgi absolutely adored taking in new information, Yesol just wanted to play. Whenever the younger sibling needed a break or someone to play with when everyone else was busy, Yonghee was there in a flash. 

The queen sat back in her chair and sighed loudly. Her stomach felt rock hard from all the food and she worried for maybe a second that the heaviness of her stomach would crush the baby in her womb. She shook her head and inwardly laughed at herself. 

A servant man entered the dining hall and bowed lowly at Yongsun. He waited for the queen to permit him to speak and when Yongsun gave him permission he stood up right. 

“My queen, the guest is ready. May I escort you?” 

Yongsun nodded and stood up slowly. She extended her hand for her alpha and smiled softly as it was taken with zero hesitation. They followed the servant side by side as he took them down a few corridors, outside and into a different building. 

This building was smaller than the others but also very private. Only a few guards were stationed here and even then they stood well away from the building. It was only one level and one room, no where to hide in there. 

“Thank you, Jin.” Yongsun dismissed the servant and pulled Byul up the stairs leading to the only entrance inside. She took in a deep breath and turned to face her alpha. “Byul, please don’t think any less of me for this.”

The alpha looked confused for a second and she couldn’t help it when her heart began to pound painfully off her rib cage. She cupped her hand under her omega’s chin and raised her head slightly. Yongsun’s eyes were everywhere except for Byul’s own warm chocolate globes. The alpha leaned down and carefully pecked Yongsun’s lips in an attempt to calm them both down. 

Yongsun leaned into the embrace and groaned quietly when Byul pulled away. She grasped back onto her alpha’s hand and released a long breath she wasn’t aware she was holding and slid the entrance open. 

A man was stood admiring the artwork on the wall opposite to the entrance when they entered. He was short and a little skinny. His hair was cleaner than Yongsun remembered, it was tied up in a little ball on top of his head. When he turned, Yongsun noticed that his beard was gone and he looked so much younger than he did in the dungeons. 

His eyes scanned the alpha and his chin wobbled as he took in the sight of his fully grown child. He opened his mouth to speak but all that came out was a sob. He fell to his knees as he cried and hunched over so his head touched the floor. 

Yongsun looked over at Byul and was taken aback by the venomous glare that came from her alpha. Byul’s free hand was balled up in a fist and her nose twitched in anger. The queen was worried. This wasn’t the reaction she expected from Byul. 

“Byul...” Yongsun tried to soothingly say but her attempt to calm the alpha down only made Byul’s glare snap onto her instead. 

Noticing the worried and slightly scared look on her mates face, Byul’s expression softened. She attempted to smile at her omega and released their hands. Her attention was on the man cowering on the floor in front of her. 

“Father.” She spat the words out as if they were made of poison. 

He looked up when she addressed her. His face was the picture of a pathetic man. His eyes were blood red and leaking a ridiculous amount of tears that stained his cheeks. His mouth was open and the sight of his dirty and broken teeth was enough to make Byul inwardly gag. 

“Byul,” He whispered, “My Byul. You’re really here.” 

The alpha didn’t respond. She couldn’t. Her tongue felt like it had swollen in her mouth rendering her speechless. Yongsun approached from behind her and placed a grounding hand on her shoulder. 

“Yoonsung.” She nodded her head at the man. “Stand up.” She ordered. 

The man did as he was told and quickly jumped to his feet. His knees were visibly shaking even under his baggy clothes. Byul wanted to laugh at how pathetic he looked, how small he looked. But couldn’t bring herself to do anything but snarl at the man. 

“Byul.” Yongsun whispered. Her voice broke something within the alpha’s head and she blinked a few times and looked over to her omega. “Say something.”

The alpha nodded and rounded on her father. For the first time in her life she was bigger and stronger than the man and she smirked as she towered over him. His eyes, exact replicas of Byul’s, shown in the light with a flicker of fear. 

“Why aren’t you dead?” Was the first thing Byul asked him. 

Yoonsung was clearly taken aback by his daughters question, but he was prepared for it. He cleared his throat and motioned for them to sit down on some cushions in the far corner of the room. As soon as they were seated, Yongsun clicked her fingers loudly and a servant appeared. The queen demanded tea be brought over as soon as possible and the servant bowed to them and ran off. 

“I’m not dead because I wasn’t killed.” He said simply. 

Byul rolled her eyes angrily and almost launched herself at her father. “I can fucking see that! I mean how did you survive? I was told you were murdered by bandits!” 

He flinched at his daughters aggression and spoke with a shake to his voice. “They did attack us. I yelled at everyone to leave and they did. The bandits slashed me here,” he lifted up his hanbok to reveal a deep scar along his abdomen, “but it didn’t kill me so they took me with them to a kingdom where beta’s are bought and sold like slaves.” 

Byul wanted to laugh at the irony, but she couldn’t. Her fists were still shaking in her lap and Yongsun had to take ahold of them just to help calm the alpha down. Byul sent her a look that said ‘thank you’ and turned back to her father. 

“I was sold to a farmer,” He continued, “A horrible farmer. He worked us to death and barely fed us anything. I almost died a multitude of times whilst I was there but one simple thought kept me going.”

“And what was that?” Byul asked just as the servant returned with the tea. 

Yoonsung smiled at the girl as she bowed and left before pouring the hot liquid into cups for the three of them. “It was you.” He said simply. “All of you, Seulgi, the baby and my Hyojoo. I knew that one day I’d have the opportunity to escape and see you all again. I refused to die without meeting my last child.” 

“Yesol.” Byul said simply as she took a sip from her tea. 

“What?”

“That’s her name. Yesol. Mother wanted me to name her after your own mother, so I did.” Byul eyes roamed his face as he looked at her with confusion written on his face. 

“What do you mean? Why didn’t she name her?” 

Byul sighed and placed her cup down. Her throat felt like it was about to close up and her eyes filled with unshed tears. “Because she died before Yesol was born.” 

Yoonsung looked like his entire world just shattered around him. He slumped back and his eyes glossed over. His heart broke into a million pieces right in front of them. Yongsun reached across and held one of his hands within her own. He smiled weakly at her as his mind replayed Byul’s words. He wanted to cry. He wanted to break everything and anything he could find. But he just sat there with a numbness in his heart. 

“The lady that lived alone across from us helped deliver Yesol after mother died.” Byul cleared her throat. “We almost lost her too.”

Yoonsung nodded his head to indicate that he was still listening but his mind kept screaming at him, ‘She’s dead. She’s dead. She’s dead.’ He forced himself to look up at his eldest child as she continued speaking. 

“She looked after Seulgi and Yesol whilst I went out to find us food or money.” Byul’s anger sparked again. “I fed us, I clothed us, I kept us safe and alive. Not you.”

Each word was like a dagger against his already broken heart. He told himself that he deserved it. That he deserves so much worse than just words. He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. He just sat there looking like a scolded child. 

“What would have happened to your children if I’d have been sold into slavery before mother gave birth?” Byul asked. She waited for an answer but one never came. “I’ll answer it for you. Mother would have died, Yesol would have died, but what do you think would have happened to Seulgi? Do you think the lady from across from us would have taken her in? Or do you think some of the dirty beta men that lived down the street from us would have taken her?” 

Yoonsung shook violently as the stories about those particular men ran rampant in his mind. He warned Seulgi to stay inside and stay away from that end of the street each and every day. The guards knew about the men but they never did anything. As far as they were aware it was a poor problem, not theirs. 

“Are you going to speak or are you going to sit there looking like an embarrassed child?” Byul couldn’t hold herself back anymore and yelled loudly. 

Her father flinched as he forced himself to reciprocate the eye contact Byul was giving. He took a deep and calming breath to stop himself from blubbering pathetically. 

“I’m sorry.” He whispered. “We didn’t want to sell you. We had no intentions of selling you to anyone. We didn’t even teach you obedience or submission whilst you were growing up. But your mother got sick when she was pregnant with Yesol and it was serious. The medicine was so expensive that I went weeks without eating just to save on money. Work dried up so quickly and suddenly no one wanted to pay for labour anymore because of how cheap alpha’s were.” 

Yongsun felt her anger growing at the last sentence. The new law against slavery of any kind was set to begin soon. Her court officials were outraged but she didn’t care. Slavery has destroyed so many life’s and condemned so many others. Once the rich have to start paying their labourers, the poor district workers will have jobs again. She hopes, anyway. 

“I was out with you in the market one day and a man came up to me,” Yoonsung continued, “He said he worked for an alpha training centre and immediately I told him I wasn’t selling you but he was so persistent. He told me he could find someone that could pay up to twenty thousand gold coins for you. I told him again that I wasn’t interested but he saw me buying medicine for your mother. He said to me that if I sold you then I’d have enough money to not only buy all the medicine I need, but I’d also be able to buy the cure.” 

Yongsun eyed him for a second before interrupting, “The cure?” 

He nodded at her. “It’s a flower grown in China. If the sick eat the flower, their sickness is gone almost immediately.”

“How much would a flower like that cost?” Yongsun asked. 

“Ten thousand coins.” He answered and then laughed, “I could live a thousand lifetimes and still not be able to afford that.” 

Byul bitterly spat, “But if you sold me, you’d be able to easily afford it.” 

Yoonsung nodded. “I wasn’t thinking properly when I agreed to this man. I needed to save my wife and protect my family.” 

“Wasn’t I part of this family? Or didn’t I count because I’m an alpha and the only alpha in nearly three generations of our family?” 

“You are!” He almost yelled desperately. “When I found out what that man did to you when he came into our home, I told your mother that the deal was off! I said I’d rather be poor for the rest of my life than to submit you to that torture again. A week after the first initial inspection, the slave owner normally comes to inspect you again but he never came back, did he?”

Byul blinked a few times and shook her head. “No.” She whispered. 

“I told him that what he did to you was beyond cruel and I told him where to stick his money.” Yoonsung’s voice was desperate as he pleaded with his daughter to believe him. “Instead I found out about how cheap medicines were in another kingdom and I stole gold coins from a rich merchant and I rode with a few friends but I never got there.” 

He took off his hanbok to reveal markings made all up and down his arms. He pointed at each one individually as he explained them. 

“This was my number when I was sold to the farmer. Five six six eight.” The number was burned onto his forearm. “This scar on my wrist is from the shackles that were too tight against me. I’ve worn them for seven years without being able to take them off.” He pointed at the uneven ragged scars that littered his arm. “And all these scars I got for punishment. Mainly because I kept telling the guards and the farmer to go fuck themselves.” 

Yongsun burst out laughing at that and had to hold a hand over her mouth to still her. Both Byul and Yoonsung looked at her with questioning gazes. She composed herself and apologised. 

“I’m sorry.” She snorted silently. “That just sounds like something you’d do.” She nodded her head at her alpha. 

The beta man winked at the omega and grinned proudly. “Where do you think she gets her rebellious attitude from? Her mother was about as rebellious as a blank piece of paper.” 

Yongsun giggled at his joke but Byul was still skeptical about him. She gazed into his broken eyes and spoke so authoritatively that it shocked even Yongsun herself. 

“How did you escape? How did you get here?” 

Yoonsung sighed as he sat up straighter. His now cold tea still in his hand grounding him. He took a deep breath as he told his story. “I planned my escape for nearly four years. There was an omega guard that was interested in me so I sweet talked him and eventually he revealed to me that he knew all the exits from the farm. He used to sneak inside the slaves living quarters and sneak me outside to look at the stars. They reminded me of you.” He smiled. 

“The owner found out about it and fired the guard but not before he gave me the key to my chains. I had my escape plan made but before I could do anything, I overheard gossip from a few alpha guards. They spoke of an alpha in another kingdom that stood up against slavery and challenged the ruling king. They said the gods blessed this alpha and that they were impervious to death. I didn’t think much of it until they mentioned the word ‘Star’ and that’s when I knew it was you.” 

Byul’s hard exterior was faltering and Yoonsung knew it. He smiled softly at his daughter and scooted closer. He beamed with happiness as he took his daughters hands in his own and she didn’t flinch. 

“I escaped that night and stole a horse. We rode for days to get to our kingdom but the guards wouldn’t let me in because I had no identification tags. So I roamed for hours trying to find a way in only to stumble across a village.” His smile grew wider. “I met a man called Yoon and asked him about this alpha named after the stars and it piqued everyone’s attention. They all told me stories about you and I couldn’t have been more proud to call you my daughter. These people spoke about you as though you were an actual god.” 

Byul blushed a light shade of pink and averted her gaze down to her hands. Her fathers hands were so scarred and haggard. It was as though he had aged fifty years in the space of just under eight. She ran her thumb along his broken knuckles and couldn’t prevent a tear from escaping her eyes. 

Yoonsung gasped at the sight of the lone tear and quickly brought his hand up to wipe it away. He cupped his daughters cheek in his hand and almost cried himself when he felt Byul lean into the touch. 

“After I left the village, Yoon took me through a well and into the kingdom. I found our home.” He smiled sadly. “Another family claimed it and they seemed happy enough. Yoon bid me farewell and I made my way to the palace. So many people rioted in front of the gates and I barged past them all and demanded to see my star. The guards looked at one another and just laughed at me and I turned violent. I attacked them but I was so weak that they just arrested me and threw me in the dungeons. I stayed there for months just waiting for something to happen and then the princess came and she smelt like you. When I heard her say that you’re alive I ran to her because I needed her to confirm that it really was you.”

He began crying as he pulled his daughter in for a hug. “It’s really you! I thought I’d never see you again! But you’re here and you have a mate!”

Byul pulled back just as the floodgates opened and tears happily leaked from her eyes. “We also have a child on the way.” She said in a small shy voice. 

Yoonsung’s eyes widened as his gaze locked onto Yongsun’s stomach. Although she was only approximately two months pregnant, he beamed as though he could see a bump. He reached across with his hand and held Yongsun’s within his own. 

“You’ve become such a strong minded alpha.” He gushed. “I’m so proud of you.” 

Yongsun, who’s hormones were going haywire during the entire exchange, blubbered slightly as she pulled both alpha and beta into a hug. She wasn’t sure where this sudden whack of emotions came from, but she didn’t care too much as she sobbed loudly. 

“Do you want to meet Seulgi and Yesol?” Byul asked once she pried herself away from her mate and her father. “I don’t know if Seulgi will remember you and Yesol won’t know you, but they’d love to finally see you.” 

Yoonsung nodded and jumped to his feet enthusiastically. He rubbed his eyes and tried to steady his breathing. Yongsun stood up and helped Byul to her feet. She went without her cane for the first time since she was shot with arrows all those months ago. 

They walked through the palace in a comfortable silence. Yoonsung marvelled at the way servants and guards bowed to them as they walked past. He was used to guards spitting at him and pushing him in mud. It was nice to see them respect him for once. 

Seulgi and Yesol were out in the gardens with Yonghee, Sungyeung, Hyejin and Wheein. The summer was coming to a rather cold end so they were enjoying as much of the sun as possible. Yonghee and her husband were splashing about with the two girls in the water whereas Wheein and Hyejin were sat side by side on the bridge with their legs dangling on the side. 

Yoonsung watched his two girls laugh and play from the distance and his heart began to heal. Seulgi looked so much like Hyojoo it was uncanny. Yesol looked like a mixture of both of them and rather a lot like Byul. He cried quietly as they approached. 

“Seulgi, Yesol!” Byul yelled causing both girls to stop and turn to her. As soon as they saw their sister they bolted out of the water as fast as their tiny legs could take them and jumped on her. 

They fell to the floor in a lump of giggles and Yongsun thanked whatever god was watching over them that they didn’t jump on her. Not only could it have hurt her unborn baby but she also didn’t want to get her clothes wet. 

“Get off!” Byul laughed as she pushed the two clinging children off of her. “There’s someone here you need to meet.”

The two girls hopped off their sister and waited for her to elaborate. Byul crouched down so she was eye level with her two siblings and pointed at the man stood beside her. 

“This is our father.” She smiled. 

They looked up at him with big confused eyes. They ran behind Yongsun and stayed there as Yoonsung laughed. 

“It’s okay.” Yongsun smiled at them both. “He won’t hurt you.”

“But our father died.” Seulgi whispered. “Byul told us he died.”

“I thought he did.” Byul shrugged. “But he didn’t. He came back for us.” 

Seulgi grasped onto Yongsun’s right hand and Yesol had her left hand. They peered out from around the queens back and politely bowed their heads at their father. He crouched down onto his knees and placed his forehead to the ground. 

“I’m sorry for leaving.” He said. “Please forgive me.” 

It wasn’t the whole story, but the girls didn’t need to know what their father went though in order to be here. With their hands still inside the queens, they stepped out and patted their fathers head. He looked up at them and they wrapped their arms around his neck. He reciprocated the hug and lifted them both high into the air. 

Yongsun stepped back and held onto Byul’s arm. Her alpha’s emotion filled eyes locked onto the queens hormonal ones and she grinned widely. 

“Thank you.” She smiled. 

Yongsun mirrored her smile. “You’re welcome.” She whispered. 

Byul turned her body to face her queen and slowly leaned in to place a soft peck on her lips. The sounds of three different people gagging make them break apart and the alpha laughed at the sight of her father and sisters fake gagging over their embrace. 

She glanced up to the heavens and hoped her mother was smiling down at them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter just flowed out. And I didn't realise how heavy with dialog it was! Haha. 
> 
> As always, comment or upvote! I see all you wonderful subscribers keeping this story looking good! 
> 
> As this story begins to come to a close and you're wondering what to read next, I'll suggest the other story I wrote called Changes. It seems to be really popular and it's just a complete fluff piece. 
> 
> Stay safe and stay warm! :)


	23. The New Law

Byul winced as she climbed up a particular rickety roof of some merchants home. Despite not needing her cane anymore, Byul still struggled carrying her weight on her right leg. For the first time in half a year, she was finally outside the confines of the palace and back into the streets of the kingdom. 

“Shit.” She grimaced as she overstretched her left arm causing a flicker of pain to course through her shoulder. 

Yongsun didn’t approve of Byul’s nighttime wanderings but she didn’t put up much of a fight when Byul announced her departure nearly an hour ago. She whined and gave her alpha the most sincerest puppy dog eyes she could manage, but the alpha just closed her eyes and pleaded with the queen to let her go. The omega sighed and moved aside to allow Byul to slip out from the palace unseen. 

A cold autumn breeze swept through Byul’s hair as she descended down the kingdom towards the poor district. There was a certain spark that hung in the air and it motivated Byul to press on and ignore the aching pain in her shoulder and leg. 

Most people in the poor district were either asleep or anxiously anticipating the next day. Byul was no different, if she were still in the palace she’d be nervously pacing around her and Yongsun’s room just waiting for the sun to come up. Some were sat on the steps leading to their rundown home drinking what Byul can only assume is some soju. They spared her a glance as she headed down their streets but their eyes didn’t linger for long before they were pulled back to the wonderful sight of a full moon. 

She noticed the well quite quickly, the moon lit it up and made it look so serine and peaceful that Byul momentarily forgot where she was. The moon couldn’t erase all the dirt and grime, however, and Byul did as best she could to not get any dirt on her palace clothes. The tunnel under the well was longer than she remembered or was it her leg slowing her down? She powered on through and ignored the throb that was now running through her leg at the overuse. 

The tunnel exit was still covered by all sorts of plants and moss and Byul couldn’t avoid the dirt from them that stained the shoulders of her hanbok. She sighed but continued. In a mere few hours the sun will rise and the village will officially become part of Yongsun’s kingdom instead of merely being just outside. There were guards just waiting for the sunrise so that they can leave the kingdoms walls and guard the village from any attacking threats. 

Byul waved a sore arm in the air and flashed the hidden archers a secret sign before continuing deeper past the trees and into the opening of the village. No alpha slept. They were all anticipating the sunrise too. They nervously chatted amongst themselves as Byul approached with a small and rather tired grin on her face. 

Joohyun was the first to spot her. The older alpha stood up abruptly with her son in her arms and bent at the waist to bow to the queen’s partner. A few alpha’s with their backs to Byul looked at her questioningly, but as they followed her gaze and locked eyes on Byul, they jumped up and bowed to her. Their astonished faces looking down into the mud underneath their feet. 

A hand clapped the alpha’s back and she turned to see the bright cheerful face of Yoon smiling at her. His grin was enough to calm her down as he wrapped his arms around her gently and lifted her into the air. With one arm wrapped around Byul’s shoulder and carefully placed as not to hurt her, he dragged Byul towards the village fire and sat her down next to himself and Heeyeon. He shoved a mug of soju into her hand and raised his own in celebration. 

Byul smiled at every alpha and stood up. She lifted her mug into the air and watched as every alpha had their sights trained on her. She licked her lips and breathed in a huge breath before her voice was boomed around the village fire. 

“When the sun rises, we will no longer have to hide in the shadows in fear. When the sun rises, we will be able to walk the streets with pride. When the sun rises, we will be able to go home to our families. When the sun rises, we will be free.” Her gaze was locked into the moon above them. She held her mug higher as if to toast the moon as her lips curled upwards and she yelled out, “To Queen Kim Yongsun!”

“Queen Kim Yongsun!” Every alpha yelled in unison. 

The nervous and anxious atmosphere Byul walked in on had disappeared into merriment. Alpha’s sang and danced as they waited for their freedom to finally arrive. A few alpha’s dragged Byul over to dance with them and she did so with pleasure. They were still slightly astonished that the queen’s alpha came back to the village, but none of them dared question it. They were privileged and so overjoyed that she came back to the village to celebrate freedom with them. 

Their party continued until the sun finally poked its head up over the mountains in the east. The entire village was plunged into silence for a few minutes and it finally hit them all. 

They were free. 

Some alpha’s laughed hysterically as they got their heads around it. Some even cried as they thought about returning to their families. Joohyun looked at her own little family and grinned widely at the markings on her mates neck. Heeyeon, who had no family left, thought about that beta medic within the palace and wondered if she needed an assistant. 

Byul thought about her family. About her sisters who gave her the will power to keep fighting for her life every minute of every day. About Wheein who went from a broken and beaten alpha to her best friend. About her father who she hated for such a long time only to realise that she was wrong about him. 

And lastly, about Yongsun. Her wonderful, caring, brilliant and intelligent Yongsun. The love of her life and the mother of her child. Without her, none of this would be happening. Without her, Byul would still be stealing coins and food to feed her sisters and Wheein. Without her, Byul would still be the angry and bitter alpha that she was before she met her omega. She owed a lot to Yongsun but luckily for her, she had her whole life to make it up to her. 

“What are you thinking about?” Heeyeon’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts. 

Byul looked over at her and smiled welcomingly. “Everything.” She admitted. 

“I wanted to apologise,” Heeyeon sighed and continued after getting a questioning look from the younger alpha, “I judged your mate purely on palace rumours that I was told when I was a slave there and I’m sorry.”

The younger alpha was both slightly amused at Heeyeon’s confession and slightly confused. Although she never voiced her opinion to Byul, she knew there was something off in the way Heeyeon looked at Yongsun or talked about her. Heeyeon was Yongsun’s mother’s only friend and confidant. She was there when her mother broke down all those years ago and provided as much comfort as she could. She was the one who discovered her lifeless body and suffered many sleepless nights afterwards. 

Byul clapped a hand on Heeyeon’s shoulder and pulled her in for a tight hug. There’s not much she could say to bring comfort to the older alpha, so instead she hugged her and tried to convey her comfort though the physical act. Heeyeon’s eyes were brimming with unshed tears as the younger of the two pulled away and smiled warmly at her. 

The sounds of footsteps crushing leaves broke all alpha’s from jubilation as a few dozen guards entered the camp. A man walked forwards with a rolled up parchment of paper and cleared his throat loudly to get the attention of everyone here. 

“By royal decree, Queen Kim Yongsun has declared this village a part of her kingdom and under the protection of her royal highness. As a result, we are here to guard the outskirts of your village and protect you from any and all outside dangers including wild animals and bandits.” He stopped for a second or two to allow the information to sink in. “You are permitted easy access into the kingdom with your identification tags with no need to pay a toll. If you do not have identification tags then one will be provided for you by this merchant.” He waved a hand at a small beta woman who smiled warmly at the alpha’s and quickly set up a small stall outside of one of the houses. 

“The queen has paid for them.” She said to an alpha who was vocal about not having enough coins to afford new identification tags. 

Byul grinned proudly as the alpha’s looked at her in awe. Yongsun thought everything through thoroughly. Heeyeon queued up behind a few alpha’s but her gaze was still fixed on Byul. 

“Planning on visiting the kingdom?” Byul teased the older alpha. 

Heeyeon blushed slightly and lowered her head. She mumbled something intelligibly before breathing in a shaky breath and trying again. “I was wondering if I could ask you a favour.”

“Of course.”

“I want to return to the palace and work with Yerim.” She said quickly. “She’s very talented and intelligent. I’d love to work with her.” 

Byul bit back a grin at the older woman’s words and nodded. “Come back with me.” She said simply. 

Heeyeon smiled gratefully at the other alpha before the merchant woman gently asked her name for the tags. As the merchant began work on her tags, she watched as Yoon approached Byul and placed a hand on the alpha’s shoulder. 

“What happens when you leave?” He asked gently. 

“When I go back to the palace this village is your responsibility.” She answered simply. “Yongsun has plans to extend the walls of the kingdom to include the village and until the walls have been built, the guards will protect everyone here.” 

Yoon smiled uncertainly as he looked around at the happy faces of the free alpha’s around him. Most didn’t have homes to go back to and instead they decided to stay within the safe confines of the village. Those who stayed were Yoon’s responsibility. He was both excited for the future and worried by it. 

Byul squeezed his shoulder reassuringly and whispered, “You’ll do great.” He was thankful for her words and nodded his head at her. 

As soon as Heeyeon’s tags were finished, both herself and Byul bid everyone within the village farewell and headed to the gates of the kingdom. They proudly flashed their tags at the guards and watched as they happily stepped aside to allow the two alpha’s access. 

They walked through the kingdom with their heads held up high and proud. The few peasants that recognised Byul bowed their heads at her as she passed. Byul was beginning to become accustomed to the bows of the people, Heeyeon was not. She watched in open mouthed awe as high ranking nobles and guards bowed their bodies to Byul as they passed. It was an extraordinary sight for her to behold. The servants and guards within the palace didn’t bow once to Yongsun’s mother in all the time Heeyeon worked there, but people were stopping in the streets to bow to the queens alpha. 

The guards at the palace gates were quick to scramble around and open the gates once Byul was in view. They bowed lowly to her as she swept past them and nodded her head towards them. Heeyeon was still in awe as she followed the younger alpha towards Yerim’s office. 

_______________

Months flew by rather quickly and Yongsun’s stomach grew larger with each passing week. Her court tried to lessen her stress by putting a few matters off or ignoring them all together. The previous king had left her a huge mess to clean up and she left every court meeting with a headache and a strange craving for peaches. 

Byul waited for her outside her throne room ever since she entered the later stages of pregnancy. She had a smile on her face and a peach in her hands when Yongsun finally vacated the room. Her omega always sighed lovingly and swooned over the sight of Byul. 

Today was no different. Byul was sat by the stairs that lead to the throne room just gazing up at the stars in the sky. One particular star was shining brightly down on her and she smiled at it. A few hurried footsteps behind her snapped her out of her daze and she looked up just as her father took a seat next to her. 

“Beautiful night.” He whispered looking upwards. 

Byul nodded. “Whenever we had a clear sky like this, the girls and I used to climb on top of our home and lay flat on the roof just looking up at the stars. There was always one star that outshined them all and was almost as bright as the moon itself. Seulgi asked me if it was our mother watching over us and I said yes. Even if it’s not, it’s still a comforting thought.” 

“She would have been so proud of you, Byulyi.” He scooted closer and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Every night before we fell asleep she used to watch you sleep and she’d always say how wonderful and strong you were. She told me you were destined for great things and she was right.” 

Byul rested her head on her fathers shoulder and sighed as she looked up to the sky. The star continued to outshine every other one in the sky. She had long forgotten what her mother’s voice sounded like, but her face was etched in her memory like a tattoo. She pictured her mother’s smile as she gazed at the star. Seulgi’s smile was a complete copy of their mother’s and it often provided comfort to the alpha. 

Her father reached over with his free hand and held one of Byul’s hands in his own. A few tears leaked from his eyes as he looked up at the sky and spotted the bright star. It glowed so brightly that he wondered if it was brighter than the moon itself as he watched it flicker away. 

“My Hyojoo.” He whispered so quietly that Byul didn’t hear him. He turned his head slightly and placed a loving kiss atop of Byul’s head. Each morning when he woke up inside the palace, he pinched himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. He roamed the corridors until he came to a stop at the bedroom of his two youngest daughters and he let himself inside their room. He would spend hours with Seulgi and Yesol just playing random games or sitting down with Yesol in his lap listening to Seulgi read fairy stories. 

Byul looked up at him and smiled at the sight of him looking up at the bright star. She used the sleeves of her hanbok to wipe the tears off his face. The actions surprised him and caused him to tear his gaze away from the sky an onto his daughter. 

He could feel himself become emotional again as he breathed in a heavy breath. “I’m sorry for not getting here sooner. I’m sorry for leaving you all alone and scared. I’m sorry I couldn’t save your mother.” 

“I learnt a long time ago that we cannot change our past. We can only learn from it and decide whether or not it influences our future.” Byul spoke up. “I could have been someone different, I could have easily been so much worse than what I am after everything I’ve been through. But I refused to let the hurt and the anger take me and instead focused all my energy on making sure Seulgi and Yesol ate every day.” She held up their entwined hands. “Don’t let your past dictate your future. Don’t sit here and wallow in pity when you’re here with your daughters and you’re safe. I’m not going to tell you that you have to be happy because other people have it worse than you because it’s not a competition. I don’t want you to spend the rest of your life apologising for things that weren’t your fault. I want you to find happiness.” 

He soaked in her words with a gentle nod of his head and pulled his daughter in closer to him. He was careful not to put too much pressure on her shoulder as he pulled her in for a hug. He sighed contently as they both gazed up to the sky. The star was shining almost impossibly brighter as though it really was her mother beaming down at them. 

A movement behind them broke them from their silence and Byul grinning widely as the sight of her heavily pregnant mate greeted her. Yongsun smiled down at Byul as the alpha jumped up and held out a peach for the queen. Yongsun happily took it and bit into it almost immediately. Yoonsung watched them with an amused glint in his eye. He stood up and bid farewell to both his daughter and the queen. 

They watched him descend the stairs and though a gate leading to the princess’ wing of the palace to say goodnight to his other two daughters. Yongsun smiled sadly at his shrinking figure. For all the awful things that’s happened to him over the course of his life, he was still a happy figure. Most people with hardships like him turn to soju to help them forget. Yoonsung began to learn from his hardships and it ultimately led him to his daughters. If only he could now forget his past mistakes. 

“Care for a walk?” Byul’s voice floated into her ear and Yongsun nodded enthusiastically. 

They walked hand in hand towards the queen’s wing of the palace. The queens garden was only a fraction of the size of the princess’ one, but it was big enough for the two of them. Yongsun lead them to a bench and sighed dramatically as she sat down causing the alpha to laugh at her. 

“Long day?” Byul asked as she held the queen’s hands inside her own. 

Yongsun nodded. “Awful.” She mumbled. “I have people richer than I am moaning to me about how much money they’re losing now they have to pay their labourers. As if they’re expecting me to say, ‘oh, go on, you can have your slaves back.’” She rolled her eyes. 

Byul laughed. “You expected that, right?”

“Oh yes. I expected a lot worse than them just moaning. But the freedom of alpha’s isn’t just benefitting alpha’s. It’s benefitting the families who don’t have to sell their alpha children just to make ends meat, it’s benefitting the poor betas and omega’s who can now go out and find paid work instead of dying of starvation on the streets, it’s benefitting so many more people than it’s hindering. And I can and will put up with a few moaning court officials for the rest of my life rather than going back on my word.” 

The alpha looked at her omega proudly. The queen was right, though. The poor were benefitting from the end of alpha slavery more than anyone else. They could now keep their alpha children safe at home whilst they went out and worked for a fair wage. Children were no longer forced to steal for survival nor were they caught or thrown into The Fort. 

Speaking of The Fort, after Byul explained the awful deaths of the child prisoners inside The Fort, Yongsun banned any and all executions of children under the age of seventeen. She also had written up her own punishment guide that the guards inside and outside of the kingdoms only prison must follow. The only crimes punishable by death were murder and treason against the crown. Everything else carried years inside the Fort. 

Byul looked up to the sky in wonder as the star still shined brightly on them both. She wrapped one arm around the queens shoulders and rested her other arm against the bump of her stomach. Their baby tried to kick her hand away and the sensations made Yongsun giggle. 

“You know, our baby only moves when you touch my stomach.” Yongsun whispered. “At first I was worried because I hadn’t felt them move, but then I realised that they only move when you’re near.” 

“I can’t wait to meet them.” Byul gushed. They had no clue whether their baby was a girl or boy, an omega, beta or alpha, but neither of them cared. All they wanted was a happy and healthy baby. 

“I know they can’t wait to meet you. They keep trying to jump out from my belly whenever you’re near.” Yongsun placed her hand over her alpha’s. 

Byul grinned happily as a few tears stained her vision. “They’re going to know that they’re loved by us and everyone else in the palace.” 

Yongsun hummed as she leant over and pecked her alpha’s lips softly. Byul, initially surprised by the action, smirked cockily and leaned right back over and properly kissed her omega. Their soft pecks turned into a passionate embrace as they clung onto one another. 

The alpha felt Yongsun’s tongue against her own and she followed it back into the omega’s mouth before she felt the queen bite down rather hard against her tongue. She pulled back and her eyes widened as Yongsun groaned in pain. She looked down in the ground and noticed a small puddle of clear water. 

“Yong?” Byul asked as she looked from the ground and up to her omega’s pained face. 

“Byul.” She gasped loudly. “I think the baby’s coming!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ive been meaning to make Byul go back to the village for a while now, but she kept almost dying so I couldn't. 
> 
> Hope you lot enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing :) 
> 
> Until next time!


	24. The Birth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a TW for this chapter. The chapter title kinda explains what’s gunna happen, but there is also some PTSD. Read with caution.

Byul jumped up in a panic as she looked around desperately for someone to help. Her heart was beating rapidly and the adrenaline coursing through her veins made her knees shake. Yongsun’s smiling face made her even more anxious and the need to vomit became overwhelming. 

“Byul, sit.” Yongsun patted the space next to her. 

The alpha did as she was told and sat down on shaky legs next to her omega. Yongsun looked too comfortable and too happy for someone who’s waters just broke. Byul couldn’t help but eye her skeptically. Her mother was withering in agony when she was in labour with Yesol, but she had the added mix of a severe and terminal sickness at the time. 

Yongsun held Byul’s hands in her own and gazed softly into her eyes. Bringing up the alpha’s knuckles to her mouth, she kissed each one with a slow lingering kiss to calm Byul down. Her heart still raced rapidly, but the gesture did calm her somewhat. 

“Come, I would like to go to bed.” Yongsun stood. The way the queen was walking due to the uncomfortable wetness that ran down her legs and made her clothes stick to her thighs would have made the alpha laugh if it wasn’t for the fact that her heart pounded in terror. 

The queen lead them to her bed chambers and with the help of Sooyoung she was cleaned and changed into a loose attire. Byul stood by and watched as Yongsun was assisted into a night gown and helped into bed by the handmaiden. She was still confused at how comfortable the queen looked but with one flash of the omega’s eyes, she was lying next to her in bed with her arms wrapped around her. 

“I want to get as much sleep as I can until the contractions start.” She whispered onto Byul’s shoulder. 

The alpha nodded her head and smiled warmly at her omega as they kissed one last time before the queen succumbed to sleep. Byul closed her eyes too and prayed for sleep to take over and free her from the panic and anxiety she felt. 

Memories of her mother flooded her mind as soon as she fell asleep. Ever since Yongsun announced her pregnancy to the alpha, Byul was haunted by the ghosts of her past. Visions of her mother lying flat on the bamboo bed mats, of her screaming in pain, of the blood that poured from her, of her last gasp of air. 

Tonight, the dreams hit their worst. Her mother’s face was replaced by Yongsun’s and Byul’s panic trebled. She cried and screamed at Yongsun to stay with her as she watched her lifeless eyes close, never to reopen. Her kind neighbour, who died not so long ago, held up a baby and looked through devastated eyes as she handed over the baby to Byul. They weren’t moving. They were just as lifeless as Yongsun. She wanted to scream, to hit something, to cry. Everything felt too real. It was all too much. 

Her airways felt constricted and she was gasping for any sort of oxygen but she was suffocating. The visions of Yongsun’s lifeless body was suddenly lying next to her mother’s. She fell to her knees holding her baby and cried. She could hear Seulgi crying for their mother and it made her cry harder. It all felt too real. 

She had to wake up. 

But she couldn’t. 

All she could do was sit back and watch the scene unfold in front of her. They felt more like memories than dreams. Her neighbour sighed just like she did all those years ago and looked over at Byul through saddened eyes. Byul knew what was coming. She knew her neighbour was about to walk over to her, clap a hand on her shoulder and tell her how sorry she was. 

The alpha still couldn’t breathe. The baby in her arms vanished and was placed by her neighbour into Yongsun’s arms. She crawled on her hands and knees towards her love, but she wasn’t moving. All she wanted was to hug her omega and her child but for some reason she was stuck in the same spot without the ability to move an inch. 

She tried to scream, but nothing came out. She tried to punch the ground, but her fist went right through the wood. She tried to stand, but her legs wouldn’t cooperate. 

Looking over at her sister, Byul panicked even more when she realised Seulgi was no longer there. She tried to look for her, but she still couldn’t move. She was stuck in the same position in her old home as she was when her mother died. Her neighbour was gone too. 

She fell back onto her behind and openly sobbed. It was the only thing she was capable of doing. She looked over to Yongsun, but she was gone. She looked over to her mother, but she was gone too. Both gone and replaced by two poorly written tombstones. 

No. This isn’t right. Yongsun isn’t dead. 

She shook her head but the tombstones remained. She gathered her strength and forced herself to stand up. Her knees were still shaking as she forced her legs to move over to the tombstones. The ground trembled with every step she took and stopped when she fell to her knees in between the graves. 

“I’m sorry.” Was all she could manage to say. Her lungs were too heavy for her to breathe. Her heart rate slowed down tremendously. She fell forward but before her face hit the floor, her eyes opened and she sat up straight. 

Yongsun was asleep besides her. She expected relief to flood through her, but it panicked her even more. Her cheeks were soaked with her salty tears and her arms felt like they were made of lead as she lifted her hands up to wipe her face. 

The moon was still up and it’s glow mocked her. She still couldn’t move. She felt paralysed in fear. Her dream felt so real, too real. But, maybe it felt real because it wasn’t a dream. It was a memory of her mother that she will never be able to erase. All she could do was hope and pray that Yongsun won’t fall to the same cruel fate as her mother did. 

The queen snored loudly and tried to wiggle about in the bed causing Byul’s tension to ease somewhat. She laughed through her tears at the sight of her beautiful Yongsun with her mouth wide open in loud snores. The alpha lay back down besides her but refused to close her eyes. She would not go back to that place in her mind again. Yongsun was alive, safe and sound, besides her. 

Byul’s eyes never left Yongsun’s face for the remainder of the night. Just before dawn broke out, the omega woke up and screamed in pain. Byul panicked and shot up out of the bed. She ran to Yongsun’s side of the bed and kneeled down next to her head. She held her mates hands in her own and almost cried at the pressure Yongsun was applying to Byul’s poor hands. 

“Do you need me to get Yerim?” Byul asked as she rubbed her sore hands. 

The queen nodded and Byul sprang into action. She found a guard stationed outside their room and ordered him to find Yongsun’s most trusted medic. She reentered their room and nearly collapsed in shock at the sight of Yongsun sat casually with her legs dangling off the bed. She looked so serine as though she didn’t have a care in the world. 

Byul considered slapping herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. The pained throbbing in her hands proved she wasn’t. 

“Are you okay?” The alpha asked as she slowly approached Yongsun. 

“I am.” The queen nodded her head and smiled at her alpha. “I think that was my first contraction.”

“How did it feel?” It was a stupid question but the words flew out of her mouth before she could stop them. 

Yongsun just laughed and rolled her eyes. “It felt a little painful.” 

Byul smiled at her love and sat next to her on the bed. She hesitated before holding onto one of Yongsun’s hands. Her hands still haven’t recovered from when Yongsun squeezed them earlier. The omega rested her head on her alpha’s shoulders and sighed. 

“What happens now?” Byul whispered. 

“Yerim said that my contractions could be hours apart which means our baby isn’t ready to come out yet.” Yongsun placed a kiss on her alpha’s shoulder. “But she wants to take me to the birthing chamber as soon as my first contraction happens so she can keep an eye on me.” 

Byul nodded just as the sliding door to their room opened and Yerim entered. The beta wiped the sleep from her eyes and yawned widely. She mumbled out a ‘good morning’ to them, but it was almost incoherent. She tried to smile at the couple, but she was too tired. She opted to wave at them instead. 

As soon as Yongsun explained the situation to her medic, Yerim’s eyes widened and she almost squealed in glee. With the help of Byul, she took Yongsun from her bedroom and outside towards the birthing chamber. The air was cold around them and it made Yongsun shiver. 

The birthing chamber was unfortunately off limits to alpha’s and Yerim had to turn Byul away. No alpha in the history of the kingdom has been able to step foot inside the small building and Byul was no exception. Yongsun looked terrified as the doors were slid closed in her alpha’s face. 

Two sheets with various knots in them hung from the ceiling and down to the ground. Pillows were thrown everywhere on the floor to guarantee comfort for the omega or beta due to give birth. Yerim helped her to sit down on the pillows and smiled reassuringly at the queen. Yongsun’s eyes were stuck on the door and if the beta looked closely enough, she’d be able to see the outline of Byul’s shadow against the door. 

She felt cruel, but the tradition of the birthing chamber being off limits to alpha’s stretches back to when alpha’s were the ruling class. It was one of the few traditions omega’s kept once they became the leaders of the kingdom. Byul’s shadow dipped its head and walked away. Yerim felt even worse as she watched the defeated shadow leave. 

The alpha’s shoulders slumped as her legs automatically took her away. She wandered around the palace without a clear thought of where she’d end up. The sun rose on a cold winter morning and even though Byul’s mind was elsewhere, she spared a minor thought at the cloudless sky above her. It was so clear that even the moon was visible against the clear blue sky above. 

The princess’ gardens were still as beautiful and as well kept as they were when both herself and Yongsun stayed in that wing of the palace. The best gardeners in all of the kingdom tended to this garden and the results were always tremendous. Byul often found herself gazing at the flowers whilst Yongsun was busy seeing to her courts. It was a serine place. Peaceful and beautiful. 

The gardeners greeted her as she passed and she smiled nervously at them. Even though she was in a terrified world of her own, she still never forgot her manners. It was too early for her sisters or father to be awake and Wheein was at Hyejin’s home with her omega. She sat down on a bench that overlooked the small lake within the princess gardens and sighed. 

The early morning sun danced off the surface of the lake calming the alpha’s overworked heart. It was so peaceful that it even tricked Byul into thinking that everything was fine. The back of her mind, however, reminded her of reality. She swore she could hear Yongsun scream in pain, but she was too far away from the birthing chamber to be sure. She closed her eyes and covered her ears in an attempt to block out the noises. She’s sure her mind is playing cruel tricks on her again. 

Byul stood up abruptly. The gardens are too quiet for her. Her thoughts were too overbearing. She had to go somewhere loud enough to distract her. Her legs took her into the princess’ wing and into her sisters bedroom. Both girls were asleep next to each other on one bed and Byul grinned at them. Despite there being two beds, the girls were still sleeping side by side. 

The alpha slowly made her way over to the two girls on the bed and quickly and quietly hopped in between them. Her grin grew larger when she felt both girls snuggling close to her on the bed. Their snores were loud enough to drown out the thoughts that pounded her skull. Her migraine was subsiding slightly and finally her mind went to a much happier place. 

A sound broke her from her peaceful daze and she snapped her head to her right. The door opened quietly and her father shuffled into the room. He closed the door and turned to see all three of his daughters cuddled up together. His face broke out into a huge grin and his eyes filled with happy tears. 

“Hello.” He greeted his eldest as he sat on the end of the bed with his legs folded underneath him. 

“Hi.” Byul smiled weakly back. She was so tired but she daren’t go back to sleep. She refused to go back to the nightmare that plagued her dreams a few hours ago. 

Her father looked at her with a worried expression on his face. Byul knew she sounded just as bad as she looked and by the looks her father was giving her, she probably looked a hairline away from death. She couldn’t blame him for worrying. But after the dream she had last night, she’s lucky she didn’t look worse than she did. 

“Yongsun’s in labour.” She said when his silent questions became unbearable. 

His face contorted into shock for a second or two before it broke into a goofy grin. Byul’s seen that grin many times on her own face before and couldn’t help big chuckle quietly at him. Yesol also inherited his goofy lopsided smile whereas Seulgi smiles with class and elegance just like her mother. 

The two girls groaned loudly as they felt the bed move rapidly. They awoke to their sister and father hugging one another in between them. They sat up and looked at one another confused before shrugging their shoulders and throwing themselves on top of the two older family members. 

Breakfast was loud enough to keep Byul from falling back into her rapidly racing thoughts. Yonghee kept glancing over at the alpha and reached across every now and then to provide some kind of comfort for her though a gentle pat on the hand. She smiled weakly at her omega’s sister, the gesture was a welcomed one. 

Tutoring for both Seulgi and Yesol was cancelled (much to Seulgi’s dismay) and instead, they spent time with one another inside the gardens. Although it was cold, the two girls kept themselves warm by running around and trampling the crunchy grass. Byul watched on and even joined in on their games when her mind wandered back to her dreams. 

She could still hear Yongsun’s pained screams whenever silence fell upon them. No one else reacted to the noise, only her. She thought she was going crazy. Maybe she was. She had suffered that many hits to the head within the past year that she wouldn’t be surprised to know that she’s gone mad. 

Lunch rolled around quickly and her sisters almost squealed in delight as they ran into the warmth of the palace just to shove as much food into their mouths as possible. Their father scolded them but then proceeded to scoff his own face until his mouth was impossibly full. The girls looked at him with their arms folded but he just shrugged innocently and pretended he did nothing wrong. 

Byul tried to eat, but she wasn’t hungry. She could still hear the screams in her head and it was driving her mad. She just wanted them to stop and leave her alone. Yongsun’s scream was going around her head on a loop but now it was mixed into her mother’s screams. Although she doesn’t remember the sound of her mother’s voice, she can never forget the sound of her screams when she was in labour. 

The noises were too much for her. She couldn’t stand the murmurings of the dining hall any longer. She stood abruptly causing her chair to clatter to the floor as she looked around at the worried looking expressions on the faces of her family. She turned and ran from the room. 

She hated the waiting. Hated not knowing what was happening with Yongsun. She hated being pushed out. She deserved to be there for her mate. She deserved to be one of the first faces her child saw. But she was pushed aside as though she was a hinderance. It infuriated her. She wanted to rip open the doors of the birthing chamber and demand to stay with her omega. But she was too smart to do that. She didn’t fancy getting taken away from her mate in chains. 

Instead, she climbed up to their gazebo and looked over at the town. The sun was somewhere in the west and the moon was still visible behind the blue sky. The people milled around as though they didn’t have a care in the world and it made Byul envious. They did not know that right now the queen was giving birth, nor did they care to know. Instead they pottered around laughing at jokes and smiling at their loved ones, totally oblivious to what’s happening a few hundred meters away. 

The gazebo was a safe space for Byul and Yongsun. They often hung out here together when the stresses of the crown became too much for the queen. Byul would sit down with Yongsun lay in between her legs. She would massage Yongsun’s neck and shoulders to relieve any and all stress she accumulated in her court. 

Sometimes Yongsun would open her hwarot up and show off her naked belly. The baby moved whenever she would do that. They’d punch and kick the omega until Yongsun closed the hwarot. Byul would always place her warm hands on Yongsun’s exposed stomach and grin whenever she felt the baby kick at her. 

Those were the memories she wanted flooding her mind, not the ones currently plaguing her. She wanted to hear Yongsun’s giggle whenever the baby would move, she wanted to see Yongsun’s smile whenever she felt the baby kick and most importantly, she wanted to see Yongsun alive and well with their baby in her arms. 

She could see the sun setting in the west as the stars began to shine up in the sky. As always there was one star that outshined them all. It flashed at her as though it was trying to get her attention. She smiled up at it as she played dot-to-dot with each and every star until she could see her mother’s face in the constellation. 

“It’s almost time.” A voice was heard in her head. She snapped her head round to see where the voice was coming from, but no one was there. She looked back up at the stars and could still see her mother’s face now curling up and smiling. 

“I’m not ready to go through all this again.” Byul hadn’t realised before, but she was crying. Tears stained her porcelain cheeks and dripped onto her lap. 

She could hear her mother’s voice laughing warmly. It was a strange sound. She hadn’t heard it in years, but she instantly recognised it. The sound made goosebumps erupt over her skin and increased the flow of tears from the alpha’s eyes. 

“Byul, your love will not befall the same fate as I,” Shes sure she’s gone crazy, either that or the stars are talking to her using her mother’s voice, “Go to her. She needs you.” 

The alpha nodded her head weakly before standing up with confidence and nodding with more assertion. She ran from the gazebo and out into the palace grounds. She almost made it to the birthing chambers uninterrupted but bumped into Heeyeon and sent them both flying back onto the floor. The older alpha laughed loudly as she dragged herself and Byul to their feet. 

She brushed the dirt from the younger alpha’s shoulders and grinned, “Your queen demands your presence.”

“Has she...?” Byul trailed off. 

“Not yet.” Heeyeon shook her head. “But she needs you there. She’s been arguing with Yerim for the past five hours until Yerim finally agreed to break tradition and allow you into the birthing chamber.” 

Byul didn’t have time to respond. Instead she brushed past Heeyeon and sprinted in the direction of the building that housed her love. Guards watched on in amusement as she ran from gate to gate just to get to where Yongsun was. She almost jumped through the flimsy door that lead to the birthing chambers and if it wasn’t for Sooyoung opening them quickly, she’s sure she would have. 

Yongsun was lay on her back with her feet planted on the floor and her legs wide. Yerim was sat in between the queen’s legs saying encouraging things to the omega as another contraction hit her. Her arms gripped onto the knotted sheets that hung from the ceiling and her knuckles turned white. 

The alpha stood frozen as she watched the scene in front of her. Her brain only began to work again when Yongsun mumbled her name and held out her hand. Byul sprang into action and sat behind her omega with Yongsun’s body in between her legs. She wiped the omega’s sweaty forehead with a cloth before placing a kiss there and whispering words of encouragement. 

“Byul.” Yerim’s voice infiltrated her ears and made her focus snap from her beloved to the beta. “She’s fully dilated which means the baby will be here any time now.”

Byul nodded her head quickly and focused her attention back on her omega. Yongsun looked up at her through bloodshot eyes and the alpha felt her heart constrict. She pushed her memories of her mother’s labour to the back of her mind. Her focus was Yongsun. No one else. Not even her late mother. 

“Byul, it hurts.” Yongsun cried as another contraction ripped its way through her. 

“I know, Yong, but you can do this.” Byul’s back was bent awkwardly as she rested her forehead against Yongsun’s. “You’re so strong and I’m so proud of you. You can do this, I promise.” 

Yerim gently eased Yongsun’s legs wider as she prepared for the birth. She could tell it was only a matter of time until the baby arrived. The utensils on the other side of the queen’s legs were ready and waiting. The hot water was slowly cooling down and ready to be heated back up by Sooyoung if needed. 

“Yongsun, when I tell you, you need to push.” Yerim spoke up. “But you need to listen to me and do what I say, okay?” 

The queen nodded painfully as Yerim disappeared in between the queens shaky legs. Byul kept urging Yongsun to breathe evenly and kept her hands on either side of her omega’s face. 

“Keep breathing steadily, okay?” Yerim said loudly to try and drown out Yongsun’s pained pants. 

Yongsun did as she was told and tried to steady herself. She was in a ridiculous amount of pain. It hurt her back more than anything else. The soothing hands and words from her alpha did ease her mind as she looked up into the tear stained eyes of Byul. 

“I can see the baby’s head.” 

The alpha’s tears continued to leak from her eyes as Yerim’s excited squeal rang around the room. This was it. 

“Baby’s head is born, Yongsun.” 

Relief washed over the alpha. Yongsun kept breathing in and out. Byul was chanting those words to her. “Keep breathing, Yong. In. Out. In. Out.”

“Yongsun, I’m going to need you to do one final big brave push for me, okay?” 

“I can’t.” Yongsun cried. “It‘s too hard.” 

Byul smiled down at her omega. “Yongsun, you are the bravest person I know. You’re the strongest person I know. You’re absolutely amazing and you can do this. One final push, Yong.” 

Yongsun nodded weakly at her alpha and pushed one last time. The hands gripping the sheets were white. The white sheets under her were stained with all sorts. Byul wiped her omega’s forehead again just as an almighty cry rang around the room. 

The queen collapsed against Byul. She was exhausted. Just over a day since her waters broke, Yongsun and Byul finally welcomed a wonderful and healthy baby into the world. Yerim cut the cord and wrapped the baby up in various blankets before handing the baby to Yongsun. The crying stopped. Instead it was replaced by the small sounds coming from the baby as they opened their eyes for the first time and gazed up at both parents. 

All the pain, the hurt and the loss Byul had endured during the arrival of her sister never came. Instead her heart was pounding as her child looked up at her with eyes big and full of wonder. The tears never stopped as she wrapped her arms around both her baby and her omega. 

For once in her life, there was nothing but love in her heart. 

For once in her life, she was truly happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My labour knowledge comes from years of watching Call The Midwife and a very helpful conversation with HttpsMoonsun, so if you did enjoy that part, give HttpsMoonsun a little love in your comments. I do hope I did it justice and didn't mess it up. 
> 
> Not long to go on this one! See you all soon!


	25. The Waterfall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There’s an M rating for this chapter due to M related things.

정  
휘  
인

Wheein looked up as a parchment of paper was placed down in front of her. Hyejin’s smiling face was shining down at her as she placed a quill and some ink down. Her confused looking face travelled back down to the paper and she stared at the scribbles, trying to make sense of them. 

“It’s your name.” Hyejin sat down next to the alpha and softly held her hand. She placed the quill inside Wheein’s palm and, with her left hand wrapped a little awkwardly around Wheein’s right, began writing the older girls name over and over.

Yongsun had told Hyejin about teaching Byul how to read and write and the younger girl wanted to teach Wheein too. She wasn’t sure how to teach her, but she figured starting with her name would be a good way to begin their lessons. 

Their lessons continued for months until Wheein was comfortable enough to recite books to Hyejin late at night. They’d sit under the stars and the moon with only a lantern behind them illuminating the book in Wheein’s hands. She often got stuck on some words, but with the gentle voice of the omega helping her quietly, she was able to confidently recite the words in front of her. 

During the colder months, Hyejin would sit covered completely in nearly every blanket and coat she owned as Wheein spoke. She shivered whenever the wind would pick up causing the alpha to act without thinking and wrap an arm around the omega. She often tensed up when she realised what she was doing, but Hyejin would always cuddle into Wheein’s embrace to relax her. 

Wheein would often write little notes for Hyejin and leave them around their bedroom. She wrote down things she was too scared to say out loud. Hyejin found them adorably cute and often imagined what kind of note Wheein would have for her when she got back home to the alpha. Her father often scolded her for not listening to whatever the politician’s from all over the kingdom were saying but she didn’t care. To her, Wheein’s letters and levels of confidence were more important. 

“It’s important.” He’d say after he’d catch her staring off in the distance as though she was somewhere else entirely. 

Sometimes she’d get home late and Wheein would be sat in an armchair in the corner of their bedroom fast asleep with a book in her lap. She’d smile at the sight and look over to her bed to spot a note. Like always. 

This note was different. The handwriting was scribbled out and rewritten a multitude of times. But the message was clear. It made the omega tear up as she held the paper against her chest. 

A sleeping Wheein was like a sleeping Angel. The look of complete tranquility on her face was enough to make the omega’s heart swell. Hyejin almost felt awful for kneeling down in front of the alpha to wake her up. 

Wheein mumbled as her eyebrows knitted together. She refused to open her eyes and even murmured out a small, “No.” at the omega as she shook her again. Hyejin giggled quietly but shook the alpha over and over until Wheein’s eyes finally opened. 

Hyejin’s eyes danced between Wheein’s tired looking ones before she pulled the small alpha into a hug. It took Wheein a second or two to realise what was happening but she sank into Hyejin’s embrace and sighed happily. 

“I love you too.” Hyejin whispered as the note fell to the floor. 

_____________

“I want to show you something.” Wheein’s nervous eyes were stuck to her hands. She was sat across from Hyejin at the dining table within the Ahn family home. 

Hyejin smiled over at the alpha. “What is it?” 

“I can’t explain it.” Wheein chanced a glance up into the comforting eyes of the omega and found herself lost among the warmth emitting from them. “I want to show it to you.” 

“Okay, when would you like to show me?”

“Now.”

“Now?” The omega looked at how low the sun was in the sky and knew it wouldn’t be too long until the night fell around the kingdom. “You don’t want to wait until the morning?” 

Wheein shook her head. “No.” 

The omega nodded at the alpha and stood up. Her servants scrambled around to clear her side of the table and she thanked them as she held out a hand for the alpha. Wheein winced as the hand was given to her, but she grabbed onto it and allowed Hyejin to pull her up. 

“Do we need to bring anything?” Hyejin asked as she lead Wheein from the dining hall. 

Shaking her head, Wheein explained, “Not really. Just two blankets.” 

Hyejin didn’t show her confusion. Instead she nodded and grabbed her favourite blankets from inside her room. Wheein waited for her my the entrance of her huge estate. The omega noticed that the alpha was more nervous than usual, but knew better than to mention anything. She held out her hand and grinned when Wheein took it without wincing or hesitating. 

Wheein lead them both to the poor district and out through the well that lead to the alpha village. But instead of turning right and following a path that lead towards the village, Wheein took her straight ahead and into the forest. 

The sun was still illuminating their way, but left an orange glow in the sky indicating how late it was. She had never been this far out of the kingdom before. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t scared. The forest was a dangerous place, wolfs, boars and even bears roamed these lands. But she was confident that Wheein knew what she was doing and where she was going. 

They came to a stop by what looked like a gigantic bush. The trees were so closely planted that it was as though they all merged into one. Wheein scanned them for a few seconds as though she was trying to determine which one was the one she was looking for. She lifted a few branches up and indicated for Hyejin to duck under them and proceed forward. 

She closed her eyes as she did. She hated dirt and bugs and anything that came with nature. But as soon as she opened her eyes she gasped at the beauty that graced her eyes. Wheein snuck up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder to push her forward. 

Wheein had lead her to a concealed waterfall with a small bank of water that lead to another waterfall a few meters down from where they were. It was untouched by man and under the orange glow of the sunset, it looked ethereal, magical even. 

Hyejin was in complete awe. She placed the blankets on the floor and was so engrossed in the beauty of the waterfall that she didn’t notice the alpha place down a bottle of wine. She turned to Wheein just as the alpha stood next to her. 

“I found this with Seulgi and Yesol years ago,” Wheein began to explain, “Byul was off stealing or running from guards around the kingdom and wolves attacked our home. I took both girls and ran and here is where we ended up.” 

“It’s beautiful.” Hyejin whispered. 

Wheein nodded bashfully. “Besides the two girls, you’re the only person I’ve ever brought here.” 

“What about Byul?” 

“She’s never seen it. She was always too busy to come here after she met Yongsun anyway.” 

Wheein placed the two large blankets down on top of the short grass and held out a hand for the omega. Hyejin took the hand and sat next to Wheein as they watched the sun fall and the moon appear high in the sky. They drank straight from the wine bottle as they stared up at the stars above them. 

Hyejin, who’s alcohol intolerance was poor, had a great idea involving the waterfall and the little bank of water that looked deep enough for them to be able to swim. She stood up swaying slightly and, with a wink thrown Wheein’s way, threw off her outer clothes and dressed in a loose sort of white gown, she slowly dipped a foot into the water and gasped slightly at how hot it was. 

“This is a hot springs.” She looked back at Wheein who grinned over at her. 

The alpha nodded her head. “Yeah. The ideal place for any omega during the colder months.” 

Without sparing a second glance at Wheein, Hyejin almost jumped in to the rest of the water. Her head was the only thing Wheein could see bobbing up and down as the omega’s legs tried to steady herself on the rocky bottom of the water. Eventually, she found the edge of a rock under the water and sat down on it. Her body up to her shoulders were still under the hot water and she sighed almost dreamily at the sensations she felt. 

She held out a hand for Wheein but quickly retracted it and pulled it back under the water after a particularly cold breeze hit her. Wheein nervously got to her feet but did not undress causing Hyejin to frown slightly. 

“Do you want me to close my eyes?” Hyejin offered as a sort of compromise to help ease the alpha into the water. 

Wheein nodded and as soon as Hyejin’s eyes were closed, she quickly stripped off her own hanbok and jumped into the water wearing her inner clothing. The omega waited until the alpha was sat next to her before she opened her eyes. A hand found hers under the water causing her face to break out into a huge smile. 

The stars were shining brightly above them as Hyejin opened her eyes. The entire waterfall was illuminated by them. She rested her head against the alpha’s shoulders and watched the stars dance in the sky. She could see the moon poking its head through the tree line. It seems bigger to her than usual. 

“I wanted to show this to you months ago but I couldn’t.” Wheein admitted. 

“Why?” 

The alpha shrugged her shoulders and accidentally nudged the omega’s head. “I guess I was scared.” 

“Of me?”

“No.” Wheein shook her head. “This is the only place I’ve ever been where I can just ignore the world and everyone in it and just be happy.” She took a deep breath before continuing, “I used to come here when the noise of the village would become too much. Byul would be with her sisters and I’d sneak out and come here. It’s hard to explain what this place means to me.”

“It’s like your nest, right?” Hyejin lifted her head to initiate eye contact with the shy alpha. Wheein looked slightly confused at the comparison. Hyejin just smiled comfortingly. “When us omega’s are preparing for our heats we find places in our homes that becomes a safe haven for only us. No one is allowed inside our nests unless we give express permission. This is your nest.” She waved an arm around under the hot water. 

Wheein blinked a few times and nodded her head softly. “I guess it is.” 

“Thank you for letting me in.” The omega whispered so gently that if it wasn’t for the fact that they were glued so close to each other, Wheein wouldn’t have heard it. 

She swallowed her fears and whispered back, “Thank you for coming with me.”

She slowly moved her head to the side and pecked Hyejin’s lips. The omega was so taken aback by the bold move from the alpha that she was slightly too shocked to respond. Wheein blushed as she pulled back. She tried to hide the smile that fought its way onto her face. Hyejin almost swooned at the sight of the alpha’s dimpled cheek. 

Wheein swam away from the omega and back onto the grass where their clothes and blankets lay abandoned. The cold night air made goosebumps appear all over her body, but she could barely even feel it. Her mind was too busy thinking about the omega she left behind in the water to even bother to worry about the cooling breeze. 

Hyejin pressed a finger to her lips and traced where Wheein’s own lips had touched only seconds ago. She sucked in a breath before swimming over to where the alpha was and before she could second guess exactly what she was doing, she embraced the alpha and placed a deep kiss upon Wheein’s lips. 

The alpha sighed into the kiss and submitted to the omega. It was just a few closed mouth pecks that developed gradually into open mouthed kisses. The alpha’s hands found purchase on the omega’s hips to steady herself whereas Hyejin placed her hands on either side of Wheein’s face. 

A shiver ripped through Hyejin’s body causing the omega to pull back. Her teeth were chattering as the see though white gown clung to her body. The alpha’s eyes stayed on Hyejin’s face as if she wasn’t capable of looking anywhere else. She pulled back when she felt the omega shake against her. 

“You must be freezing!” Wheein broke from her daze and ran around trying to grab something warm enough for the omega. 

Hyejin smiled at the blanket Wheein held out. She took it with a silent ‘thank you’ and used it as a shield as she peeled off her gown. There was a distinctive spike in pheromones once Hyejin’s gown was thrown haphazardly on the grass besides her hanbok. The omega sniffed a few times before her eyes met Wheein’s hungry gaze. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t like the way the alpha was looking at her. 

“Wheein?” She tried to snap the alpha out of whatever daze she found herself in. “Are you okay?”

Instead of answering in words, Wheein nodded her head and closed the gap between them. She placed her lips so softly against the omega’s that Hyejin wasn’t sure if they were actually touching. Hands kept the omega’s hips in place as arms wrapped around the alpha’s shoulders. The simple almost chaste kisses slowly developed into something deeper. 

Hyejin broke apart first and watched as Wheein’s eyes opened. She expected to see a slight shimmer of fear in the alpha gaze, but found nothing but pure unfiltered adoration coming from Wheein. Licking her lips, Hyejin sat down on the other blanket and offered a hand to the alpha. 

They lay next to one another under the stars, but they ignored the sky. Instead they focused their attentions on one another. Wheein’s soaked gown was becoming a bit of a problem for both girls and their dry and warm blankets. Hyejin tried to ease the alpha into taking it off and was fully expecting Wheein to freeze and maybe clam up in fear. 

“It’s okay.” Hyejin soothed as her hands found the bottom of the gown. “Take this off and put your hanbok back on. You don’t have to be naked if you don’t want to be.” 

Wheein nodded her head just as Hyejin closed her eyes. She peeled the gown off and placed it neatly next to Hyejin’s own soaked gown before quickly picking her hanbok up. She gazed at it for a second and then gazed at the omega. Hyejin’s hand was covering her eyes and the blanket covered the rest of her body. 

The alpha’s heart was hammering away at her rib cage as though it wanted to burst from her chest. A lump formed in her throat and adrenaline coursed though her veins as she threw her hanbok down and dived under the blankets to lie next to the omega she trusted, adored and loved. 

Hyejin’s smiling face was the only thing she could see before she closed her eyes and leant into the omega. Their lips met more sloppily this time as Wheein’s alpha side came out more dominant. The omega quite enjoyed this side of the alpha and even pulled Wheein on top of her. 

With only the moon and the stars as their witnesses, they continued their slow embrace for what felt like hours. Neither quite willing to take the next step until Wheein’s member brushed against Hyejin’s clit. The omega moaned into the alpha’s mouth but did nothing to stop Wheein from lightly grinding herself against the omega’s core. 

“Wheein.” Hyejin gasped out. “Are you sure you’re ready?” 

Nodding, the alpha shyly spoke, “I am. I’ve never been so sure of anything before like I am right now.” 

Hyejin smiled softly and pulled the alpha back down until their lips connected once again. This time they kissed desperately as they both fought for dominance. Their naked bodies began grinding against one another. The sounds of crickets around them was being drowned out by their own desperate panting as they broke apart. 

“This is my first time.” Hyejin shyly admitted as Wheein lined her modestly sized cock with Hyejin’s entrance. 

“This will be the first time I’ve ever done it willingly.” Wheein placed a longing kiss on Hyejin’s cheek. “I was injected with so many drugs that I don’t remember most of what happened.”

Hyejin’s hands framed Wheein’s face and she forced the alpha to look at her. “That doesn’t count, Wheein. It will never count. This is your first time just as much as it’s mine.” 

Wheein nodded as she was pulled into a passionate embrace with the omega underneath her. Their night consisted of discovery, passion and love. Each new touch was greeted with a moaned praise from either omega or alpha. Some touches gained giggles in return, some gained moans but every new touch gained them the trust and adoration of one another as they worked each other up until they were both teetering on the edge of sanity. 

It was slow, soft and nothing like what Wheein’s been through. Hyejin was comforting. She never chased her own high. She built them both up with Wheein’s help and clung to her lover when the relief finally washed over them. 

It was wonderful, all the things they felt when they fell off the edge. Hyejin couldn’t hold back on praising her lovers name to the only witnesses of their embrace, the moon and the stars. Wheein responded by pulling the omega up and into a slow but passionate kiss. She lay her head down against Hyejin’s chest and sighed lovingly as she felt the omega’s arms wrap around her. 

Hyejin to Wheein was a safe place. Her haven. The omega thought that this hidden waterfall and hot springs was her nest, but she was wrong. For Wheein, any place that contained Hyejin was her ‘nest’. She has never felt as safe in her life as she did in the arms of the omega. 

“I love you.” She finally spoke the words to Hyejin after writing them down for so many weeks. 

“I love you too.” Came the hushed reply from the omega. 

They kissed under the stars one last time before succumbing to the tiredness they both felt. Wrapped up in each other’s warm embrace, all they could dream about was their future. Neither cared what the future held, all they wanted was to face it together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was for everyone that wanted more Wheesa. I listened to nearly every slow Taylor Swift song from 1989, Reputation, Lover, Folklore and Evermore as I wrote this. So I recommend listening to them as you read. 
> 
> As always I do hope you enjoyed the Wheesa fix. I hope it came across as romantic and loving as I planned. See you all soon!
> 
> (PS, there may not be an update on Thursday)


	26. The Passing Years

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rated D for Domestic. And ALS for A Little Sad.

A loud cry rang around the room causing Byul to spring to her feet. The room was only illuminated by the full moon that was barely visible through the covered windows. Byul stumbled around as her eyes began to adjust to the poor lighting of the room. She hit her foot off a multitude of things and cursed quietly under her breath. 

The cries continued as Byul finally approached the wooden cot. She smiled sleepily at her baby and lifted him out. She held him close to her chest as she bounced up and down to try and soothe him. His cries calmed down into little sniffing noises as Byul walked around the bedroom with him. 

Yongsun was still fast asleep on the bed, completely undisturbed by her sons loud cries. Byul sometimes envied Yongsun’s ability to sleep through anything and everything. She’s still adamant that war could break out in her very bedroom but still not be loud enough to wake the omega. 

Jaesung let out a small whine as he felt Byul stop moving. Byul grinned down at him and his needy whines. She took him over to the balcony attached to their room, opened the door and walked outside. The cooling air was a welcomed relief to both the baby and to the alpha. 

“This will all be yours one day.” Byul whispered into Jaesung’s little tuft of hair. “You’ll be a great king.” 

To Byul, it almost looked as though the boy winked up at her. She chuckled at him and praised him as she walked back into the warmth of their bedroom. Yongsun was still passed out in the exact same position as before. Her mouth was opened but no snores came out of her. If it wasn’t for her chest rising steadily, Byul would have called for Yerim. 

She lay down besides her mate and lay Jaesung down on her chest. He yawned and nuzzled his head just under the alpha’s chin before closing his little eyes and joining Yongsun in dreamland. Byul drew soothing circles with the tips of her finger on his tummy and the top of his head as he slept. 

Sleep these days was rarity for Byul. Yongsun had given birth to their beautiful baby boy only a few days prior and Byul did everything she possibly could to allow the queen to properly rest and relax during the night. There was a few things Byul could not do, such as feed Jaesung when he was hungry, but changing his soiled clothes or soothing him when he cries was something Byul jumped at the chance to do. 

Her eyes felt heavy as the sun began to shine outside. She heard Yongsun mumble besides her but the omega refused to open her eyes. Instead she grumbled some more and pulled the sheets up over her head. Byul laughed quietly at her as a queen shaped lump formed under their bedsheets. 

With Jaesung still sleeping soundly against her chest, Byul sat up in the bed and pulled the sheets away from the sleepy omega. Yongsun tried to glare at the alpha but all that came out was a look of tiredness and a little annoyance. She blinked a few times as the light began burning her poor tired eyes. She grabbed the sheets away from Byul and hid herself under them again. 

“Stupid alpha.” Byul heard Yongsun mumble under the safety of their bedsheets. 

“See what I have to put up with?” The alpha asked her son who was still fast asleep. 

The queen poked her head out from underneath the sheets and glared at Byul who audibly gulped. With her hair askew and sticking out in all directions, Yongsun slowly rose into a seating position and rested her back against the pillows at the head of the bed. One look at the baby snuggly sleeping away in Byul’s arms caused Yongsun’s glare to disappear as her arms opened wide. 

“Here.” Byul softly passed Jaesung over to the queen and sank lowly in the bed. “I can go to sleep now.” 

“Did he not let you sleep?” The queen yawned as Jaesung nuzzled his head closer to his mother’s chest. 

The alpha shrugged. “Kind of. He cried during the night but calmed down once I picked him up.” 

“Try to sleep, Byul.” Yongsun leaned over to place a lingering kiss on the alpha’s lips. “I’ll wake you once food arrives.” 

Byul did not need telling twice. As soon as her eyes closed, she was knocked out. Her head lolled to the side as soft snores wracked through her body. Wiping away the stray hairs that littered the alpha’s forehead, Yongsun smiled as she gazed down at Byul’s sleeping form. 

A sneeze coming from the little one in her arms snapped her attention away from the sleeping alpha and onto her now wide awake son. His eyes gazed up at her expectantly as his mouth formed a perfect ‘o’ shape in a silent demand to be fed. Grinning down at her son, Yongsun stroked the little tuft of hair on top of his head before lowering her night gown and helping him latch on to her breast so he could feed. 

One thing Yongsun knew instantly about their son was how greedy he was. He fed until he literally couldn’t stomach anymore and then threw up half of what he consumed all over Byul or Yongsun as they burped him. Byul, completely used to a baby throwing up on her after Yesol, just took it in her stride. Yongsun, however, gagged and squealed every time Jaesung puked on one of her expensive hanboks. 

Yerim popped by morning, noon and night to properly check over both the queen and the crown prince. Her cold hands made Yongsun hiss slightly, but they seemed to soothe Jaesung whenever Yerim examined him. She always left with a smile on her face as she told Yongsun that everything was coming along fine with them both. 

Jaesung pulled back from his mother as another sneeze wracked through his body. Yongsun smiled down at him before pulling him into a seated position on one of her legs and rubbing his back lightly to encourage the air trapped in his stomach to come up. She hoped it was just air this time and no puke. 

The little boy had the exact same nose as Byul but with Yongsun’s head shape. His eyes were as bright as his omega mother’s and they caused the omega to swoon once he opened his eyes for the first time. The two little freckles he has under each of his eyebrows were the complete copies of both Yongsun and Byul’s own. 

His eyes opened wide as they began adjusting to the morning light. Yongsun rose from her bed with him in her arms and began walking around the room slowly. His curious eyes latched on to nearly everything in the room as Yongsun walked. She whispered into his ear as she roamed, stopping just outside the sliding door to her balcony and stepping out into the cool morning air. 

She sat down on a bench and held her sons body close to her. Yongsun enjoyed days where she could just sit and relax. Being a princess, then the heir to the throne and then the queen meant that she didn’t have many days to herself. In fact, the day after giving birth to her son, Yongsun continued with her royal court sessions despite Yerim’s wishes of pure bed rest. Byul had to take charge in the end and all but pull the omega from the throne room and back into the safety of the queen’s quarters. Yongsun had to admit that the alpha taking charge of her well-being was rather attractive and made her swoon. 

The sky was covered by a blanket of clouds that not even the powerful rays from the sun could penetrate. The wind was cold as it whipped through the queens messy hair and circled around the balcony. She hugged Jaesung closer to her in an attempt to shield him from the cold. 

A knock at the door inside the room caused the queen to stand up quickly and she shuffled back into the warmth of her bedroom to greet whomever was at her door. Yerim was kneeled on the floor besides her door with Sooyoung opposite her. She smiled as she welcomed them both inside her room. 

Sooyoung quickly began opening curtains and picking out clothes for the queen to wear whereas Yerim strictly ordered Yongsun back into bed. The queen lifted an eyebrow at the medic who shrank under her gaze and bowed her head a few times. She did as she was told however and crawled next to Byul in bed. 

“Still asleep?” Sooyoung quietly tutted at the alpha. 

“I know, right.” Yongsun suppressed a giggle. “She’s so lazy.” 

As the queen and her handmaiden began idly chatting, Yerim began checking Yongsun over. She interrupted their chatter to ask the queen questions such as, “Baby feeding okay?” “Are you eating properly?” “Any complications with walking, sleeping or using the lavatory?” Yongsun answered all her questions with polite yes’ or no’s. 

Satisfied with the state Yongsun was in, she held her arms out for Jaesung. Reluctantly, Yongsun handed him over and watched almost mesmerised as Yerim weighed him, checked him for any rashes or skin conditions and began noting down any new moles or freckles on his tiny body. 

Jaesung didn’t seem to appreciate being manhandled by the medic. Just as Yerim was about to hand him back to his mother he let out a loud fart in Yerim arms causing Yongsun to burst out laughing at the disgusted look on the medic’s face. 

“Good boy.” Yongsun grinned as Jaesung was handed over to her. 

“Everything looks great.” Yerim wafted her hand in front of her face to rid the air around her of the gaseous smells. “Jaesung is fine and so are you.” 

“Does that mean I can attend court sessions again?” Yongsun asked hopefully. 

Yerim hesitated slightly. For any regular omega or beta that recently gave birth, she would suggest up to two months of bed rest with the occasional walks for exercise and fresh air, but as she was now dealing with the queen she had to take that into consideration. It wasn’t as though she thought Yongsun couldn’t handle the pressures of the after effects of child birth and the pressures of being the reigning monarch, she honestly believed Yongsun was capable of handling all of that. What Yerim didn’t want was for the queen to run herself into the ground for the sake of a few weeks of absence. 

“Your majesty,” Yerim sighed at the expression of hope plastered to Yongsun’s face, “I recommend another month of you resting at the very least.” 

“I have a kingdom to run.” The queen groaned. “I’m sat on my ass for most of the day whilst I’m in the throne room so why can’t I continue?” 

“It’s the stress, Yong.” Byul grumbled from her side of the bed. The alpha sat up and stretched her arms above her head. “When you finished with your court session a few days ago, you almost collapsed due to not eating properly and sheer exhaustion. You gave birth only a few days ago. Let your body have time to properly heal itself.” 

Yongsun rolled her eyes at the alpha and growled out a small, “Byul,” at her. 

“She’s been having trouble sleeping lately.” Byul ignored the warning look the queen flashed her. “She won’t admit it, but she feels a small pain in her back and it’s painful enough that she struggles to fall asleep.” 

Yerim frowned slightly at the queen. “Back pain is natural, your royal highness. I will bring you some pain reducing medicines when I visit you tonight that will alleviate the pain and allow you to fall asleep easily.”

“Thank you.” Yongsun mumbled embarrassedly. 

“It’s okay.” Yerim bowed her head. “I will again suggest at least a month before you go back to your duties but it is up to you whether you listen to my advice or not.” 

The queens eyes lit up for a second before they quickly looked over at a slightly annoyed looking Byul. She sighed as she looked down at Jaesung in her arms. His hands were rubbing his nose and his eyes drooped as he fell asleep. 

Yerim excused herself just as a few servants came into their room and set up a small table filled with various breakfast meals for both alpha and omega to enjoy. With the help of Sooyoung and Byul, Yongsun was placed delicately down on a pillow with her son still tucked safely in her arms. She sighed lovingly as Byul began feeding her from the food on the table as she rocked her arms back and forth to keep Jaesung asleep. 

_____________

“Jae! Jae!” Yongsun called the name of her five year old son as she rushed around the gardens of the palace. News had reached her about him apparently going missing and the queen set every single guard she could find out to get the missing boy. 

She searched high and low for her son but to no avail and began panicking even more. With one last destination in mind, Yongsun sprinted as best she could considering the tight hanbok she was currently wearing, to the princess’ gardens and almost pushed guards and servants out of the way as she ran. 

She stopped when she heard voices coming from the small lake inside the gardens and breathed a huge sigh of relief. Her worry and panic was replaced by anger as she made her way to the lake to confront the alpha she was mated with. 

But as soon as her eyes latched on to them, her anger subsided and instead began being replaced by a warm and hopeful feeling. She approached quietly and sat down on a bench next to a sleeping Hyejin who just wanted to enjoy the summer sun. 

Byul held up their son in her arms and slowly lowered him into the water. With one hand under his stomach to keep him above the water, she instructed him to properly move his arms and legs rapidly and cheered when he began swimming. She still kept her hand under him, however, just in case his arms and legs got tired. 

“You’re doing great!” She grinned as she risked moving her hand from his stomach to see if he could keep himself upright. “Keep kicking your arms and legs and if you get tired just float on your back.” 

The alpha watched as her son swam off confidently on his own. His shouted, “I’m doing it!” Was heard throughout the gardens and Yongsun couldn’t help but grin over at him. 

Byul looked behind her and froze instantly at the sight of the queen sat on a bench with one leg crossed over the other and an eyebrow raised at her. Looking to her left, Byul saw Jaesung swim into Wheein’s arms and as soon as she knew he was safe, she dunked her head under the water to avoid the angry glare coming from her mate. 

“Byul!” Yongsun yelled loudly enough to wake a soundlessly sleeping Hyejin. 

When the alpha didn’t come back up, Yongsun panicked slightly. She stood up and quickly ran over to the edge of the small lake. Just as she decided to jump in to find her alpha, Byul appeared soaking wet next to her. Her hanbok was dried but began to slowly get wetter as though she jumped out of the lake and put her dry clothes on instantly without drying off. 

“What’s Jaesung doing here?” She asked innocently. “Surely he should be studying with his tutors.” 

Yongsun rolled her eyes and moved so she was slightly behind her alpha. She pointed over at a scared looking Wheein and waited for Byul’s attention to lock onto the other alpha before she pushed Byul into the lake. The alpha made a huge splash in the water and the only thing that could be heard around the gardens was Jaesungs booming laughter. 

Guards appeared behind Yongsun but she waved them away and instructed for a few of them to inform Jaesung’s tutors that he wouldn’t be attending his lessons for the day. She also told a few to let her court know that she will not be back until the following morning so they were dismissed for the day. 

Yongsun took off her royal hanbok and folded it a few times before placing it quickly down on the bench with Hyejin who used it as a pillow. She was dressed in a long gown that covered her shoulders and down to her legs. As soon as she stepped foot into the lake, the coldness of the water soothed her temperature. Byul helped her in once she tossed her own soaking wet hanbok to the side. 

“Why isn’t Jae in his tutoring lessons?” Yongsun asked once her body became acclimatised to the cold water. 

Byul smiled guiltily. “He wanted to have fun.” She replied simply. “He said he wanted to learn how to swim.” 

“So you kidnapped him?”

“I wouldn’t call it kidnapping.”

“What would you call it?”

“I waited for his tutor to leave the room, grabbed him and ran. I wouldn’t call that kidnapping.” 

“That’s the exact definition of kidnapping.”

“Oh? Then yes, I kidnapped him.” 

Yongsun splashed the alpha. “Byul!” She yelled with a hint of amusement in her voice. 

“I’m sorry, he just looked sad! I can’t help it if I wanted to make him happy.” Byul held up her hands as though it would protect her from the water. 

Rolling her eyes, Yongsun smiled at her alpha before embracing her. “You’re too soft.” 

“Jaesung and you are worth being soft for.” Byul replied as she pulled the omega in for a quick kiss. 

_______________

Byul was sat down in the dining room with her grown up sisters, her slightly sick looking father, her best friend Wheein, her mate Hyejin and their newborn daughter when Yongsun finally entered. She groaned as she slumped into her seat besides Byul. She rolled her eyes in answer to the unspoken question Byul asked with her own eyes. The alpha chuckled under her breath as a two year old little girl jumped up at her. Placing the child on her lap, the table waited for the crown prince to enter. 

Yonghee, her husband and her twin sons burst through the door bickering about something but they both fell into silence as Yongsun lifted an eyebrow to the pair. They bowed at her and took their places next to Wheein. 

As soon as the doors opened, a ten year old Jaesung entered amid applause and cheers from all those in the room. Yongsun was quick to hug her son and all but dragged him to the table. She sat him down in her usual spot and left a lipstick stained kiss on his cheek to which he gagged loudly and tried to wipe it off. 

“Happy birthday!” They all yelled out once he was seated. 

The boy blushed a dark shade of red as all sets of eyes were on him. Byul laughed at her sons embarrassed face and laughed even harder when he glared at her. He looked more like Byul than Yongsun so the sight of a male version of her angrily glaring at her amused the alpha to no end. 

“Birfdey?” The two year old in Byul’s lap asked as she pointed at Jaesung. 

“Yeah, it’s your brothers birthday!” Byul replied. 

“Mine?” She used both hands to press against her own chest. 

Byul shook her head, “No, Jisu, it’s Jaesung’s birthday.” 

“Yes.” She nodded and grinned up at her alpha mother’s face. 

“Can you say ‘Happy Birthday Jae!’?” Yongsun asked her daughter. 

“Ha..hap... birf.. day!” She stuttered out and clapped her hands together once she said it. 

The meal went by rather quickly. Jisu stayed planted on Byul’s lap as the alpha fed her. Yongsun rolled her eyes at them and shook her head. Jisu was incredibly clingy when it came to her alpha mother and Byul couldn’t help but give her the attention she craved. 

Byul began helping out the poor districts within the kingdom by passing out clothes, blankets and food nearly every day to help out the poor people. Whenever she left, Jisu would cry for nearly an hour until Yongsun or Byul’s father would calm her down. She’d come back hours later and as soon as the child heard her alpha mother’s voice, she’d sprint to the door and jump on Byul. 

Jisu whispered babbling nonsense into Byul’s ear during the meal and the alpha pretended to know exactly what she was talking about. She nodded at her daughter and agreed to what she was trying to say causing the little girl to giggle and squirm in Byul’s lap. 

Yongsun tried to engage her son in any sort of chatter, but the boy gave her one word answers and blushed whenever someone who wasn’t Yongsun looked over at him. It was worse when Hyejin smiled at him because the boy would hide his face behind his hands and mumble something incoherent. It boosted Hyejin’s confidence but made Wheein understandably uncomfortable. 

The chatter continued long after the the food was gone. Everyone except the children and Hyejin were happily drinking down the wine that the servants constantly poured for them. Byul’s father began drifting off slightly as his eyes became heavy. His head lolled to the side causing his youngest daughter to giggle behind her hand at him and shake him softly. 

Byul laughed at her daughter trying to grab her glass of wine to devour the contents herself. She held it out of Jisu’s reach as she looked over to her father and sisters. Yesol’s face went from giggly to concerned when the man wouldn’t wake up. Even level headed Seulgi began to worry. 

“Father?” Byul timidly said. 

All the attention at the table was on Yoonsung. His chest was unmoving but his face was smiling. Yongsun held out her hand for Jisu to take as Byul scrambled to her feet. The alpha dropped down on her knees and shook her fathers shoulders. 

Standing up, Yongsun pleaded with her sister silently to take Jaesung and Jisu out of the room to which Yonghee nodded quickly and rushed them out with her own sons and husband. Hyejin and Wheein followed them through the door leaving all three Moon siblings and Yongsun alone. 

“This isn’t funny.” Byul cried softly. “Wake up.” 

“Byul...” Yongsun placed a hand on the alpha’s shoulder. 

“No!” Byul yelled. “I’ve lost him once! I can’t lose him again!” She cradled his head in between her hands. “Wake up.” She begged over and over again. “Please.”

Seulgi and Yesol clung to one another as they sobbed loudly. Yongsun wiped away tears of her own as she pulled her alpha away from her father and held her head close to her chest. 

“I’m so sorry, Byul.” 

Yoonsung’s funeral service was a beautiful one. A horse and carriage took his body from the palace and towards the poor district. The sun was shining through the clouds as the carriages came to a complete stop under a huge tree. It took a few minutes for the servants to manoeuvre his casket from the carriage and into a grave dug especially for him. 

Byul’s hand never left Yongsun’s during the service. The queen stood next to her alpha and held her as she wept for the death of her father just as Byul did for Yongsun. Seulgi and Yesol as always were clinging to one another as they quietly sobbed. 

Jaesung argued with his parents for hours when they suggested for him and Jisu to stay behind in the palace instead of going to the funeral. He cried, yelled and threw himself against the floors of the palace until his parents relented and allowed him to go. He clung to Byul as he watched his alpha mother breakdown in front of him. He held onto Byul’s other hand as they lowered Yoonsung’s body into the ground. 

Just before they covered his casket up, Byul stepped forward with a parchment of paper in her hands. She took a shaky breath as she unravelled it and began reading, “Father, appa,” She stopped as her lip quivered but continued once Yongsun squeezed one of her hands reassuringly, “This is the second time I’ve mourned for you. I thought it would be easier this time because I already came to terms with your death when I was thirteen. But saying goodbye a second time is harder than anything ever ever had to do.

“Mother is buried under this tree and I know you’d want to be buried with her. You were the only person besides me and the girls that brought flowers to her grave and now we have to bring flowers to yours too. I’m glad my children got to meet you. In you Jaesung saw his best friend and the only person he liked talking to. Jisu may be too young to remember you, but I know you’ll remember her and Jae.”

A sob leaked out from her mouth causing Yongsun to clutch onto her arm to ground the alpha. “There’s so much more I want to say, like your late nights helping us with baby Jaesung when he wouldn’t let us sleep for three days, or singing to Jisu to calm her down when neither me or Yongsun were around. I wish they had more time with you. I wish I had more time with you. At least now I know where you are and I know you’re safe with mother and most probably already annoying her.” 

She knelt down over the open grave and tossed in one lone rose. “Goodbye, appa. I love you.” 

_____________

“Stop that.” Byul said to her son without looking up. 

“I’m not doing anything.” He shrugged as his deep voice rang in his alpha mother’s ears. 

Rolling her eyes, Byul placed the parchment down on the table in front of her and raised an eyebrow at her now fifteen year old son. “I know you’re drooling over your sisters handmaiden again, so stop.” 

“Mother! No I’m not.” He crossed his arms over his chest and huffed. 

Byul had to laugh at him. Outside the safety of the palace, Jaesung was only allowed to act with the grace and decorum one might expect from the crown prince, however when he was inside the palace, he was allowed to act like a typical teenager. Something he took full advantage of. 

“You’re not great at suppressing your pheromones.” Byul wafted a hand across her face. “The room stinks thanks to you.”

The boys face turned bright red as he yelled out, “Mother!”

Byul just laughed harder at him. “I hope your mother doesn’t come in here otherwise she’d have the talk with you again.” 

Jaesung groaned loudly. He placed his head down on the table and covered it with his arms. Byul ruffled his hair dislodging it from its perfect bun on top of the prince’s head causing him to groan even louder. 

Jisu’s handmaiden bowed to them as she passed by with the princess and couldn’t help the giggle that left her mouth when she saw the prince’s gaze locked onto her. Byul just shook her head and continued reading the parchment in front of her. 

“Don’t let your mother catch you looking at that omega like she’s pray stuck in a trap.” Byul said seriously. “Otherwise she’d blame me.” 

The boy stood up abruptly and mumbled something under his breath before leaving the room. Byul just watched him leave and chuckled at him. Sighing, she continued to read the parchment sent to her by one of her colleagues that helps Byul with delivering the food, clothes and blankets to the poor districts. 

Less and less families were depending on handouts from the crown as more alpha’s, beta’s and omega’s were given paid work throughout the kingdom. Byul still went out every day to deliver food to those who couldn’t work, however, and built up a reputation with those in the poor district. Byul knew that she could die happy knowing she made a difference to so many peoples lives. She may be hated slightly by the nobles and the rich that were dependant on slavery, but she was loved amongst the poorer people within the kingdoms walls. 

Standing up, Byul stretched her arms over her head and yawned as she walked out from the queen’s study and back outside into the freezing cold midday air. Winter engulfed the kingdom and all that could be seen on the floor was crystal white snow. She shivered as her slipper covered feet began making tracks in the snow. 

The carriage set to take hot food to the poor districts was being loaded in the distance and Byul couldn’t help but smile at it. Jaesung was perched next to the driver with his arms folded. Confused, Byul jogged over to the carriage. 

“Jae, what are you doing?” She asked. 

Rubbing his cold hands together, Jaesung answered, “I want to come with. I want the people to know that I care about them just as much as they care about me.” 

“You know your mother will kill me if you get lost or killed, right?” Byul sighed. 

“I won’t get killed.” Jaesung rolled his eyes. “I have my guards with me, they’ll protect me.”

Looking from her son to the palace walls, Byul relented. Holding up her hands she nodded at the teenager who grinned in return. She pulled him down from where he was sat and pointed at the door on the carriage. 

“Get in there.” She ordered. 

“But-“

“No buts! Your guards can protect you in there.” 

Rolling his eyes, he squeezed in between two guards and moaned the entire way to the poor district. He almost begged Byul to turn back after hearing back crack slightly. But as soon as they reached their destination, he was shocked at the state of the living conditions within the poorer parts of his future kingdom. 

Byul held out a hand for him to pull him from the carriage and watched in awe as everyone bowed in unison at him. Some even cried when they saw the crown prince. Byul dragged him towards the carriage with the food and watched as the people gathered into a line. He expected them to push and pull at one another to get to the food, but was amazed at how well mannered and patient these people were. 

The people whispered their thanks to him as he handed over a bowl full of stew to them. Some sobbed as his hand grazed theirs. It made him realise how important his presence was to these people. The nobles in the queens court smiled and bowed at him, but none of them cried for him, none of them looked at him with so much unreserved love and respect. 

A woman, elderly and frail, shook as she held out a bowl for Jaesung to fill up. Her eyes were low as she bowed respectfully at him. He tried to catch her eyes but couldn’t. He handed back the bowl and watched as she walked away still shaking. She dropped her bowl only seconds after taking it from Jaesung. It almost fell in slow motion. The elderly woman looked at it in shock before she began crying softly. 

As quick as a flash, Jaesung grabbed a bowl from behind him and poured food into it for the woman. He jumped down from the carriage amidst wondering eyes and approached the woman. He smiled as he handed out a new bowl for the woman who sobbed harder, dropped to her knees and bowed so low that her forehead touched the snowy floor. 

“It’s okay.” He whispered as he fell to his own knees. “I brought you a new bowl.”

Byul watched on as her son helped the woman to her feet and helped her back to her home. His guards scurrying behind him as he went. She told her son that he must care for those who have nothing to offer. Those who have nothing and are unloved by so many need his love the most. 

Jaesung entered the old woman’s home and almost gagged at the smell. It was wholly different from the clean and pristine palace. The woman’s home was hardly deserving of the word. It was one room and the roof was caving in slowly. He sat her down on the only dry part of her floor and lifted the bowl up to her lips. Her hands were still shaking violently and he knew she couldn’t hold the bowl properly. 

She looked up at him with wide eyes when the bowl was empty. He smiled at her as he took out a handkerchief from his pouch and wiped the woman’s mouth. She averted her eyes and looked down shamefully. 

“My name is Jaesung.” He tried to reestablish eye contact. 

“Sohyuk.” The woman bowed her head. 

“Here.” He handed over the handkerchief and grinned once she took it. “Keep it.”

“Thank you, your highness.” She clutched the cloth to her chest as Jaesung stood up and left the woman’s home. 

Byul was waiting outside for him. The moment he left the small home, his alpha mother pulled him into a hug and whispered, “They’re going to love you, just don’t forget about them,” into his ear. 

She brought him to the tree where they buried his grandfather and grandmother. Underneath the bark contained a wide array of flowers and notes thanking both Hyojoo and Yoonsung for bringing Byul into the world. Some notes even contained stories of how some people first met the alpha from before she mated with Yongsun whereas others told of how Byul’s daily trips to the poor districts saved their lives. 

“This is how you want to be remembered.” Byul said as one of her arms wrapped around her son. He was slightly taller than her so her arm fell around his waist. “Help the rich and your name will be written in the history books. Help the poor and your name will be passed down from generation to generation and your grave will always be tended to.” 

“Is that why you help?”

“No. I help because I was once like these people. I was a poor peasant that didn’t eat for days because I had no money. I stole a goat to sell its milk to help feed my sisters, I stole coins to buy bread for Seulgi and Yesol and I stole bread when I couldn’t steal coins. I almost died of starvation so many times I lost count.” She sighed as she turned her back to her parents grave and walked back towards the carriages with her son just behind her. 

Jaesung followed her and again watched in awe as people thanked his alpha mother and children handed out flowers they picked for her. One child, a little girl, pulled on the sleeve of the crown princes’ hanbok to get his attention. She held out a small band made out of straw and bowed at him. 

“I made this for you.” She said with her eyes closed. 

He took it in his hand and smiled down at the little girl. “Thank you.” He said as he placed it on his wrist and held it up proudly. 

Byul waited for him to jog back over to her and smiled as he held up his wrist. She bowed to the people that were still watching them as she jumped back inside her carriage with her son squeezing next to her. Looking out of the window, they both waved as the people watched them leave. 

“Everyone deserves at least one hot meal every day,” Byul began as they neared the palace gates, “Especially those who constantly live out in the cold and cannot afford a fire in their home.”

Jaesung nodded his head in understanding just as the palace walls came into view. The guards allowed them access instantly and bowed their heads to the two as they peeped into the carriage. Just before Byul opened the door, she turned to her son and let out a sharp breath. 

“You’re going to be the king one day and I have no doubts that you’ll make both me and your mother proud. I need you to remember something.” She waited until getting a nod in return before continuing, “You need to be a voice for those who cannot speak. Your life will always be lived in comfort and riches so you need to support and help the people who fight for their lives every time they wake up. It’s hard to love and support those you hardly ever see, but they’re the people who need your love the most.” 

“I promise to continue your work, mother.” Jaesung held up his pinky finger. “They’re my people just as much as anyone else and I will help them as much as I can.” 

“You’ll make a great king and you’ll be the first alpha king in nearly six centuries.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One last chapter to go. Kinda sad it's coming to an end but there's not much left to do. 
> 
> As always thank you to you and everyone who liked this story enough to encourage me to keep writing it! 
> 
> I wanted to base Jaesung off Lee Chang from The Kingdom because I really liked his character. If you haven't seen that show, it's on Netflix and I recommend it! 
> 
> See you Thursday for The End.


End file.
